Nimba County Inspector, B. Mac Gblinwon, has urged stakeholders to make a decision on the 3rd mineral development agreement of ArcelorMittal, highlighting some of the foremost development initiatives of the steel company in Nimba County which, according to him, stands to benefit the citizens.
Gblinwon named the pavement of the Ganta to Sehyi-kimpa road, put at a cost of US$40 million, the renovation of J.W. Hilary Hospital and Zolowee School, on-going construction of the Gbaapa Clinic, AML’s recent sponsorship of the Nimba Inter-Electoral District League, Support to Nimba County teams, Scholarships, etc.
Based on ArcelorMittal’s development priorities in Nimba the county inspector said he thinks that the government should revisit AML’s 3rd MDA in the interest of the citizens.
County inspector Gblinwon said he is of the conviction that, if passed, the MDA will provide more opportunities for the county and the country.
His comments were captured from statements he made at the recent Women Empowerment Forum Liberia (WEFL) Community Engagement Forum on ArcelorMittal’s phase two expansion project, held in Sanniquellie, Nimba County.
The Nimba County inspector’s thought falls in place with the company’s reaffirmation of the importance of its 3rd Mineral Development Agreement, expressed in the AML unveiled as “headline sponsor” for the National County Sports Meet.
As the company announced it was donating a whopping $275k as gold sponsor, its CEO, Jozephus Coenen,said, “ArcelorMittal Liberia is honored by its partnership with the government and people of Liberia and is proud of the contributions we have made and its positive impact on Liberia’s economic development.”
Coenen maintained, “As you all may be aware, last year ArcelorMittal and the government signed a landmark amendment to the company’s mineral development agreement, which paved the way for the on-going expansion of our mining and logistics operations in Liberia.
“With the MDA amendment coming into effect, ArcelorMittal Liberia will significantly ramp up the production of premium iron ore, generating significant new jobs and wider economic benefits for Liberia. This is really exciting news, not just for our workforce, but for all Liberians and the country.”
AML’s Expansion project encompasses processing, rail, and port facilities, and is one of the largest mining projects in West Africa with a capital investment of over US$1 billion.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nimba County University Student Association, Mamee Gongbah, has praised AML’s “new community engagement strategy” in the form of hall meetings to provide information to locals.
Mamee Gongbah told the community outreach in Saniquellie that “during the past years students, including citizens in the affected communities and the country at large, carried out misinformation about the company to suggest it was not making any impact in the lives of the citizens and communities.
“Why is it that, with all the newspaper publications, dramas about AML’s development on radio played in Mano, Gio and I know in other tribes in the county, citizens keep complaining about AML not doing anything?” Gongbah asked.
He said there is a need for people to come together to identify ways to address the wave of misinformation in the county and across the county concerning concession companies.
“AML is a good company but many of the local authorities are the ones suffering the common people as many of the opportunities from AML are thought to be only benefitting higher policy makers’ children.
“They are always focused on their children, forgetting about the common people children,” Gongbah added.
The Nimba University students’ president has also recommended that AML put in place a new mechanism to monitor its community-based projects in Nimba, Grand Bassa, and Bong counties.
