By Alaskai Moore Johnson, alaskaijohnson@gmail.com +231-777-889-870 / +231-886-631-025
ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) CEO Michiel Van Der Merwe has declared that AML looks toward making 15 million tons of products this year. He added: “That is our aim.” Merwe stated that once their concentrator starts up, they are going to run it to the analyzed rate of 15M tons per annum from the concentrated. He further disclosed that this will be augmented with at least another 5M tons of direct shipment ore (DSO) products and this will help to take them to the first target of 20M tons per annum. “This is a five-fold increase this year of what we have done last year. That gives you the idea of the scale and enormity of what happening here. At this stage, anytime we speak, there is more than 55 huge dump trucks running in our operation bring down ore from the top, down to the bottom of the concentrator with dedicated men and women working to get that done.”
ArcelorMittal’s CEO Michiel Van Der Merwe announcing the massive expansion that the steel giant has embarked upon during the company’s 20th anniversary celebration in Yekepa, Nimba County
The AML CEO spoke of how blessed they are with the “beautiful of minerals” in Nimba County. “This ore body that we have got here in Nimba County is going to keep not only this county but Liberia buzzing for many, many decades to come. Your children today will work on this mine and their children, too, will work on this mine; and their children, too, will work on this mine and the mine won’t be even half way through. That is a guaranteed. You can write down what I have said and come back to discredit me if it doesn’t happen. That will happen. So, we have got a lot to be thankful for. We have got a lot of blessings that we need to feel humbly thankful for every day.”
Merwe expressed how deeply excited he was to be a part of the journey that started 20 years ago in 2005. Liberia had just emerged from years of brutal civil war that devastated every sector of the nation’s fabric including the economy.
AML’s CEO Merwe was also active in parade commemorating AML’s 20th Anniversary celebration
“We are celebrating the past 20 years of ArcelorMittal in Liberia; we are celebrating all of the sacrifices you, your family members and everybody involved in this journey: government and local officials and everyone who has helped ArcelorMittal to be able to be where we are today,” he further stated.
“We are on the brink of massive, massive expansion: Just to give you a rough idea of the expansion that we are looking at. We have done in the past couple of years in the order somewhere between three and five million tons of ore per year. This quarter, two days ago, we have sold 2.04M tons of sellable products. What does that mean for a quarter: that is by far the biggest amount ArcelorMittal has ever done in Liberia,” Merwe said as he delivered his remark during program of the steel giant’s 20th anniversary program in Yekepa, Nimba County on Friday, April 5, 2025.
In order to achieve the 15M tons of iron ore annually, the company has included a new concentrator plant, is doing upgrades to the rail and Buchanan seaport infrastructure. And this will lead to the creation of 3000 new jobs. This will enhance Liberia’s railway and port systems, positioning the country as a key player in the global iron ore market.
Speaking further, Merwe urged the company’s over seven thousand employees to invest some of their salaries in the local economy of the communities that the company works in. “That, too, is going to help the communities around us where we work. I know everybody wants to see immediate and big change. The changes that you see here are going to continue. We started putting out some street lights; we have started noticing some real differences around here.”
“We all are going to have a great future: not only in Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa but also in the entire Liberia. ArcelorMittal has been the highest contributor to the economic and it has been for many years. We want to commit to be in this country for many years for as long as this ore body will be here: and this will outlive all of us sitting here for sure,” Merwe said further thanking his staff for their efforts in the massive expansion of the company.
Reaction to AML’s CEO
In her statement, the Superintendent of Bong County, one of three counties that AML operates in, among other things, thanked AML for keeping food on the tables of Liberians over the last 20 years. Supt. Hawa L. Norris wished AML many more years of operations in Liberia.
The Ministry of Labor’s office in Nimba County thanked AML for being in full compliance with the Labor Law of Liberia. The Ministry’s representative pleaded with AML to consider providing vacation jobs for high school students.
The head of the Nimba County’s Legislative Caucus, Representative Saye Sylvester Mianah of District #8, congratulated the iron ore company for its investment in Liberia. Rep. Mianah assured Nimbaians that under his administration as Caucus Chair, the county’s legislative caucus will be very vigorous. “The new MDA that we are going to discuss, please get prepared for it,” he told AML management. Rep. Mianah assured the people of Nimba that they are going to be a part of the new MDA discussions.
A representative of Nimba County’s Superintendent expressed how deeply honor they were to be a part of AML’s 20th anniversary celebration. He thanked AML for listening to the county’s authorities in solving problems that have arisen.
Brief History of AML
Giving a brief history of the company earlier, Ms. Blessing Gono, a 9th grader at AML High School in Yekepa, said back in 2005 when the company started, its aim was to revive Liberia’s mining sector through innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence.
“At a time when critical infrastructure was destroyed, ArcelorMittal took a bold step to work with the Liberian government to restore hope in the country’s mining future,” Ms. Gono stated.
AML is part of ArcelorMittal, which formed a merger of Arcelor and Mittal Steel. The company initially acquired a concession to mine iron ore in Nimba County, committing to infrastructure investments like rebuilding the Yekepa-Buchanan railway. To date, AML has invested over US$2.5B and created over 7,600 jobs through direct employment and contractors.
Key Milestones in AML’s History
In 2005, AML signed the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) and began operations. In 2007, the company started infrastructure rehabilitation; in 2011, AML launched mining operations at Mount Tokadeh with a capacity of four million tons of iron ore annually. In 2017, the company began mining operations at the Mount Gangra deposit. In 2021, AML and the Liberian Government signed a third amendment to the company’s MDA. In 2022, the company started the US$1.4 billion Phase II Expansion Project, which is set to be completed this year.
Pomp & Pageantry
The celebration in Yekepa where the company is based, began with a parade through the city as students of AML High School and workers marched and danced to the rhythms of the Bong County band crew.
To further spice the celebration up, famous musicians and comedians from around the country were present to make the celebrants and bystanders laugh, dance and sing.
Included on the list of performers were former Cultural Ambassador Queen Juli Endee and her Crusader for Peace Band, Michael Davies, who goes by the stage name Sundaygar Dearboy, Korte Dorbor Bazzie, who goes by the stage name Kobazzie, LCP Cultural Troupe, Helena Luogon, Caroline Moore, who performs under the stage name, MC Caro; Comedians Joseph Dean, Birth Certificate, etc.
There were several food stations serving surplus, non and alcoholic beverages to the hundreds of celebrants.
