Published: October 28, 2026
Monrovia — ArcelorMittal has invested nearly US$4 billion in Liberia’s iron ore sector, including about US$800 million to rehabilitate and expand the country’s government-owned railway and port, ArcelorMittal Liberia’s chief executive said at the Liberia International Mining and Energy Conference and Expo.
Michiel van der Merwe said the investment spans mining, rail, port facilities, power and social infrastructure.
“It is an investment in jobs, skills and local businesses,” he said. “Most importantly, it is an investment in Liberia’s future.”
He said the spending is set to multiply the company’s output. ArcelorMittal Liberia expects to export more than 20 million tons of iron ore in 2027, up from under 5 million tons in 2024, and is planning for future mine production of 30 million tons. He said the Phase II expansion behind that growth is making the company one of Africa’s most significant iron ore operations.
Part of the investment went into the country’s first large-scale iron ore concentrator, which van der Merwe called a national milestone. The plant processes ore into premium concentrate for steelmakers. He said it will supply existing mills and newer plants that use technology designed to cut carbon emissions.
The US$800 million rail and port investment covers the line linking the company’s mines in Nimba County to the port of Buchanan. Van der Merwe said ArcelorMittal has made the foundational investment in that corridor, and that other mining companies seeking access would need to finance their own expansion requirements. Other operators can use spare capacity on the current expansion for now, he said.
“ArcelorMittal is fully committed to the desire of the three Presidential administrations that this Tokadeh to Buchanan Railway is a multiuser asset available for other companies to use,” he said.
Under the third amendment to the company’s Mineral Development Agreement, other users can gain access to the railway, with the government deciding which companies may use the corridor, he said. From 2030, he said, an independent company will run the railway under Rail Systems Operating Principles that are being formalized. He said ArcelorMittal also supports creating a National Rail Authority to oversee new rail corridors.
“The establishment of an independent rail operator marks a significant step in Liberia’s economic transformation,” he said.
Van der Merwe opened his speech with four numbers, “One, Two, Three and Four.” He said one company reopened Liberia’s iron ore sector in 2011 and has stayed for two decades, through three presidential administrations, investing nearly US$4 billion.
He called for sustained investment in Liberian skills so that future generations can run the industries being built today.
“No single company, government institution or investor can achieve all of Liberia’s goals alone,” he said. “But together, we can create an environment where investment thrives, industries grow and communities prosper.”
“We’ve played this part for the last twenty years,” van der Merwe said, “and we are ready to do so for another forty years or more.”
ArcelorMittal Liberia is a platinum sponsor of the conference.
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