YEKEPA, NIMBA COUNTY – On September 25, 2025, ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) issued a press statement claiming full transparency and adherence to the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) following a Joint Senate Committee oversight visit to its Tokadeh and Yekepa concessions. The statement touted a US$1.8 billion Phase II Expansion Project, promising a concentrator plant, upgraded railways, a power plant, and 7,500 jobs for Liberians. Yet, upon closer examination, the statement reads less like a demonstration of compliance and more like an exercise in corporate public relations spin, glossing over the company’s long history of broken promises and concession failures in Liberia.
ArcelorMittal’s history in Liberia has been fraught with controversy since the first concession agreement was signed in 2005 under the transitional government of Gyude Bryant. The deal was rushed through without proper competitive bidding and gave AML sweeping control over rail and port infrastructure, sparking concerns of a near-monopoly over strategic national assets. By 2007, under President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the contract had to be renegotiated after public outrage. Civil society groups, particularly the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), exposed that the original deal had stripped Liberia of significant revenues and left communities vulnerable. Even the amended 2007 MDA, hailed as a correction, failed to solve the deeper problems, including weak enforcement and AML’s tendency to skirt its obligations.
Over the years, AML has repeatedly failed to live up to its commitments. Communities in Nimba and Bassa were promised decent housing and resettlement packages, yet many remain in substandard conditions, with mining activities displacing farmers without adequate compensation. Liberia has been shortchanged on revenues; according to Liberia’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI), AML has contributed roughly US$500–600 million in direct taxes, royalties, and social development funds since 2006. Yet independent analysts estimate that iron ore exports from AML have earned the company well over US$5 billion during the same period, a ten-to-one disparity that reveals just how little Liberia is receiving from its own resources. AML also controls the Buchanan rail line, effectively locking out other potential investors like HPX (High Power Exploration), stifling competition and cementing its monopoly. Its labor practices remain exploitative, with Liberians confined to low-paying jobs while expatriates dominate managerial positions. Labor unions have staged strikes nearly every two years since 2012. Environmental neglect is another sore point, from polluted rivers in Grand Bassa to cracked homes in Nimba caused by blasting. This record makes the company’s latest claims of “the highest standards of corporate governance” ring hollow.
The Senate oversight visit has only deepened suspicion. Six senators visited AML’s Yekepa concession without any members of the House of Representatives present. Senator Nya D. Twayen of Nimba County blasted the visit as unauthorized, clandestine, and lacking legal standing since joint committees require plenary approval. The Joint Committee defended itself, calling the visit a “routine fact-finding mission.” But its language, dismissing Twayen’s criticism as “political agitation” while echoing AML’s job-creation narrative, sounded more like a corporate press release than legislative oversight. Instead of probing AML’s history of violations, the senators risked becoming cheerleaders for the company. Liberians remember how AML has often used access to powerful lawmakers to shield itself from accountability. This latest visit suggests little has changed.
Oversight of concessionaires is not about hostility, but neither is it about indulgence. True oversight requires tough questions. Has AML met its housing, education, and resettlement obligations since 2007? Why has AML contributed only around US$30–40 million annually in taxes and royalties, when the value of its ore exports often exceeds US$500 million a year? Why does AML still control national infrastructure like the Buchanan rail line without transparent frameworks for shared access? What percentage of AML’s senior management are Liberians, and why has skills transfer remained minimal after nearly two decades? These are the questions that define real accountability. Anything less reduces oversight to window dressing.
AML’s September 25 press release reads like a celebration of progress. But for many Liberians, especially in concession-affected counties, it is salt poured on old wounds. In Nimba, community members complain of dust-filled air, cracked homes due to blasting, and poor road conditions. In Grand Bassa, residents continue to protest environmental damage to farmland and waterways. Workers remain frustrated at being passed over for promotions while expatriates dominate management. These realities expose AML’s so-called “commitment” for what it is, corporate spin designed to mask years of bad concession practices.
Senator Twayen may be blunt in tone, but his central argument is correct. Liberia must no longer tolerate concessionaires who exploit resources while giving crumbs in return. AML should not be allowed to dictate the terms of accountability through selective legislative engagements and glossy press statements. President Joseph Boakai’s administration has an opportunity to reset this relationship. Liberia must insist on transparency in revenue reporting, independent monitoring of community development projects, and open access to infrastructure like the Buchanan rail line. Civil society, too, must remain vigilant, holding both the company and government accountable.
ArcelorMittal Liberia has extracted immense wealth from Liberian soil since 2005. But what has Liberia truly gained in return? Since operations began, AML has shipped tens of millions of tons of iron ore abroad, generating billions of dollars for its shareholders, while leaving Liberians with underdeveloped communities and only a fraction of the value. Until AML sheds its pattern of bad concession practices and embraces full accountability, its promises of transparency and compliance should be treated for what they are, hollow words. Oversight must be relentless, lawmakers must resist corporate capture, and Liberia must ensure that its natural resources serve the people first. Anything less is a betrayal of Liberia’s sovereignty and the trust of its citizens.
