The Mayor of the City of Ganta, Amos Suah, has thanked ArcelorMittal for its support to information sharing and the commitment to development initiatives in the affected counties.
Speaking Monday at the launch of a month-long community awareness on ArcelorMittal’s Phase Two Expansion, Mayor Amos G. Suah said the decision to support such a platform, which provides the opportunity for information sharing, is laudable.
Women Empowerment Forum Liberia-WEFL, a local rights group based in Nimba County, is disseminating information about ArcelorMittal and gauging citizens’ perspectives on the company operation across the county.
Mayor Suah told the participants that for too long many people have said that the company was not doing anything due to acute lack of Information sharing.
According to him, “It was just of recent that we are getting to know more about what the company is doing.
“I am very appreciative of Women Empowerment Forum Liberia-WEFL for taking the lead on this, and thanks to AML for buying this unique idea,” he added.
“This is happening under the leadership of His Excellency President George M. Weah and for me as mayor of this great city’’.
The Ganta Mayor encouraged participants to take advantage of the information supplied by the local civil society group, especially the benefits associated with the ArcelorMittal expansion.
He further thanked AML for its recent provision of substantial financial and material support to Nimba County’s 2022 inter district sports tournament, and appealed for increment in its assistance.
Early Monday, the Gompa Youth Center was filled with a cross-section of stakeholders, students, youth groups, women leaders, the disabled community, civil society organizations, who formed part of the first set of community awareness drive by Women Empowerment Forum Liberia about the benefits of AML Phase-II Expansion project.
Laura Bee Kiekpo, Executive Director, and team provided detailed information about AML expansion project and what communities stand to benefit when phase two is fully rolled out.
Over 200 participants turned out for Monday’s event in the commercial city of Ganta, compelling the team to hold two separate sessions.
WEFL said it will extend the community engagement to Sanniquellie, Karnplay, Yekepa and Gbapa for the next one-month period, from November 1—30, 2022—a campaign that targets explanation on the benefits of ArcelorMittal’s phase-II expansion.
The CSO, in a statement issued last weekend, said it is seeking “to supply community dwellers, especially those directly affected by the company’s mining activities, with the much-needed information concerning the obligations of the concession to its host communities and the people of Nimba and Liberia at large”.