IPNEWS: Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono is urging the people of Nimba County to peruse dialogue in their disagreements with ArcelorMittal in bid to attract more investment to the vote rich northern county
He believes more business including banks and other will move to the county and empower more people as when the people of Nimba conduct themselves properly by engaging into fruitful discussion with ArcelorMittal Liberia who is already operating in the county.
He statements came Thursday, June 27, 2024, as ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) engaged extended engagement to its host communities through the donation of five motorbikes to district commissioners in its operational areas. The donation took place in Yekepa Town, where the motorbikes were handed over to representatives of the Yarmien, She, and Zor areas, which host AML’s mining operations.
The donation was part of AML’s ongoing efforts by the government of Liberia to foster a collaborative relationship with the communities in which it operates.
Josephus (Joep) Coenen, the outgoing CEO of AML, attended the ceremony alongside Nimba other AML officials, and local chiefs and elders.
Marcus Wleh, Head of Sustainability and External Relations at ArcelorMittal, emphasized the symbolic nature of the donation saying: “So, these bikes are symbolic donations. We at ArcelorMittal are not saying that all the transportation requirements of our landowners are motorcycles, no. What we are saying is that we are not even asking—we say let’s begin the process of, you know, looking at some of the problems.”
“This is a token of transportation, so everything that was written in terms of requests to us we will still consider. But this is a token presentation. It is just a means of transportation for the chiefs and elders in the affected communities,” Wleh remarked.
The ceremony ended with Superintendent Gono officially handing over the motorbikes to Hon. Robert Senneh, the Chief Elder of Nimba County, who expressed his gratitude.
“We are happy and we want the company to do what it can so that we ourselves can be working for them,” Chief Senneh said.
The donation by AML follows a recent meeting where local citizens requested motorbikes to facilitate the movement of chiefs and elders. Minister of Internal Affairs Francis Nyumalin had committed to ensuring the bikes would be provided by AML, a promise now fulfilled.
The donation ArcelorMittal Liberia’s believes is an important step in enhancing mobility for community leaders and shows the company’s dedication to supporting the social infrastructure in its operational regions and reflects AML’s broader commitment to addressing community needs and fostering a collaborative environment for sustainable development.
