IPNEWS: ArcelorMittal Liberia has launched a two-day stakeholder engagement conference in Gbarnga, Bong County, bringing together local leaders, government officials, and community representatives from Bong, Nimba, and Grand Bassa counties.
The forum, which is currently ongoing at Passion Hotel, aims to deepen collaboration, review past commitments, and explore new strategies for ensuring that mining contributes meaningfully to sustainable community development.
Chief Executive Officer Michiel Van Der Merwe, in his opening remarks, expressed gratitude to Bong County residents for their hospitality and underscored the company’s belief in partnership and dialogue. He highlighted the June 2025 commissioning of Liberia’s first iron ore concentrator plant—an achievement under the company’s Phase Two Expansion Project valued at US$1.8 billion.
The expansion, which brings ArcelorMittal’s total investment in Liberia to over US$3.5 billion, has generated more than 11,000 jobs, including 5,000 in construction.
Van Der Merwe also emphasized the company’s investments in human capacity through its Vocational Training Centre (VTC), which has produced 163 graduates skilled in mechanics, welding, and electrical work. Of those, 122 have been absorbed into the concentrator project, while 138 others are currently in training. He said the initiative aims to prepare Liberians to take full ownership of the company’s technical operations in the future.
Beyond employment, the CEO noted ArcelorMittal’s growing partnership with local businesses, awarding contracts to Liberian-owned firms as part of its strategy to strengthen the domestic economy.
He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, adhering to global standards in tailings management, dust control, and biodiversity protection in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The conference also reviewed the company’s annual US$3 million contribution to the County Social Development Fund, distributed among Nimba (US$1.5 million), Grand Bassa (US$1 million), and Bong (US$500,000). Local leaders hailed the engagement as a model of corporate accountability, praising ArcelorMittal Liberia’s openness to community input.
Discussions will continue through the second day, focusing on how stronger cooperation can help translate Liberia’s vast mineral wealth into shared social and economic progress.
The ceremony commenced on November 12 and is expected to end on the 13 th of November, 2025. By: Phi Jacob Kermue ,jacobkermue4@gmail.com, 888809944/0775187091
