GANTA, Nimba– United States Ambassador to Liberia, Mark Toner, has concluded a day-long tour of ArcelorMittal Liberia’s concession areas in Yekepa with a strong endorsement of the company’s ongoing expansion efforts.
The visit followed an invitation extended by the leadership of the steel-mining giant, ArcelorMittal Liberia.
“Today, we welcomed H.E. Mark Toner, United States Ambassador to Liberia, at our Yekepa operations for a site tour of the newly built iron ore concentrator and a visit to the ArcelorMittal Liberia Training Academy,” the company noted in a brief statement posted to its official Facebook page.
Before visiting the Tokadeh Mine site, Ambassador Toner toured the ArcelorMittal Liberia Training Academy (AMLTA) in Yekepa, Nimba County, where hundreds of young Liberians are acquiring life-changing technical skills essential to the mining industry.
During the visit, the Ambassador and his team were briefed by ArcelorMittal Liberia’s senior leadership on the progress and scope of the Phase II Expansion Project.
According to the company, the expansion is already generating significant employment opportunities for local residents, boosting the national economy, and enhancing the competitiveness of Liberia’s mining sector.
At the Tokadeh Mine, Ambassador Toner expressed optimism about the scale and potential of the investment, noting its alignment with Liberia’s long-term economic and human development goals.
Following his tour of AMLTA, the newly constructed Iron Ore Concentrator, and after receiving a detailed briefing on the company’s Phase II plans, Ambassador Toner described the expansion as “huge and significant to the Liberian economy.”
ArcelorMittal entered Liberia in 2005 and, in 2006, signed an initial 25-year Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) with the Government of Liberia to mine iron ore in Nimba County, in the northeastern part of the country.
With six years remaining on its current MDA, AML has committed to remaining in Liberia for an additional 25 years. Under this renewed commitment, the company plans to triple its iron ore production and invest an additional eight hundred million U.S. dollars ($800 million) into its operations.
As part of this investment-readiness strategy, ArcelorMittal Liberia has constructed a new concentration plant, expanded its mining activities, and increased its workforce, including the recent employment of 127 Liberians across various operational areas.
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