–– As AML Fulfills Sponsorship Commitment
IPNEWS: A prominent elder in the mining community of Nimba County, Elder Johnny Gbah, has praised ArcelorMittal Liberia for its unwavering commitment to healthcare. Elder Gbah, the former town chief of Gbapa, expressed his gratitude to the company for ensuring the completion and dedication of the Gbapa Clinic.
“We are happy for our clinic here in Gbapa,” Elder Gbah stated. “The capacity of the clinic is good, and we are happy; it is big. The community people are happy for the clinic to be built with the help of ArcelorMittal.”
According to Elder Gbah, the town had been without healthcare facilities for several years, forcing residents to travel long distances to seek medical care. With the completion of the Gbapa Clinic, healthcare services are now expected to be conveniently accessible to the people of Gbapa and its surrounding towns and villages.
“I want to tell the company, in fact, I am thanking them very much for the support they provided to have this clinic built for us, the people who are living here,” Elder Gbah expressed.
He also highlighted other contributions from ArcelorMittal Liberia, including the construction of the Gbapa Public School, road connectivity projects, and various community development initiatives. Despite the clinic not yet being fully operational, the community remains optimistic and continues to seek additional support from AML and other partners to make the clinic fully functional.
In response to the community’s request, AML agreed to support the construction project through a partnership. Under this agreement, local citizens contributed local materials and labor, while AML provided building materials valued at $50,000 and an additional $35,000 in cash. This brought AML’s total contribution to $85,000 towards the $125,000 health center project.
Since the 1920s, Gbapa residents have had to travel to nearby communities, such as Yekepa Camp-4 and the provincial capital of Sanniquellie, for medical care. This situation remained unchanged until 2019, when the community sought assistance from ArcelorMittal Liberia to construct a clinic in their area.
The orderly completion of the Gbapa Clinic stands as a testament to ArcelorMittal Liberia’s commitment to the well-being of the communities it serves, and the people of Gbapa look forward to the clinic becoming fully operational soon.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, global steel company ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting grassroots sports development in Liberia.
This was highlighted by the company’s presentation of two checks, each worth USD 5,000, to River Gee and Rivercess Counties, the winners of the football and kickball categories, respectively, in the recently concluded National County Sports Meet.
The presentation ceremony, held on Friday, was attended by AML’s outgoing CEO Jozephus Coenen, who handed over the prizes.
ArcelorMittal Liberia’s Head of Sustainability and External Relations emphasized that the cash prizes reflect the company’s dedication to initiatives that promote national unity and youth development.
“All of this,” he said, “is underpinned in ArcelorMittal Liberia’s youth development program, whether at the national or county levels.”
Deputy Minister for Sports Andy Quamie expressed gratitude to AML for fulfilling its sponsorship agreement and noted the Ministry’s explicit trust and confidence in ArcelorMittal Liberia’s management.
“For the last three years, you have supported the National County Sports Meet. We are looking forward again to the 2024-2025 event. We don’t want the headline sponsor to go to another entity. We enjoy explicit confidence in working with the ArcelorMittal family.
As Deputy Minister for Sports, I appeal to you to consider being the headline sponsor for this year’s National County Sports Meet. We thank you for your commitment to the people of Nimba, Bong, and Bassa. Rivercess and River Gee are happy that you have honored your commitment after the county meet, ” he concluded.
An AML symbolic cheque presented to River Gee County, winner of football category
As the headline sponsor, ArcelorMittal has consistently allocated funds to support the tournament’s organization and provide direct financial benefits to the participating counties.
The company stated it is proud to support efforts to promote peace, unity, and national development through sports.
ArcelorMittal’s sponsorship of the National County Sports Meet not only provides financial support but also enhances the profile of one of Liberia’s most significant sporting events.
The National County Sports Meet, a highlight in Liberia’s sporting calendar, brings together counties from across the nation to compete in various sports, fostering regional pride and unity.
This year’s event saw River Gee and Rivercess Counties emerge victorious, securing the top spots in football and kickball, respectively.
AML officials noted that fulfilling this key sponsorship requirement continues ArcelorMittal’s longstanding support for sports in Liberia, including previous contributions to the Liberia Marathon and other local sporting events.
