Liberia’s House of Representatives has escalated its scrutiny of ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) operations by mandating a comprehensive five-year financial and operational review. The hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the Capitol Building’s First Floor Conference Room, where the Joint Legislative Committee on Investment and Concessions will lead interrogations.

Lawmakers explicitly requested that AML present a detailed “comprehensive financial gain report” covering 2020 to 2025. This period aligns with AML’s third Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) amendment, signed in September 2021, which included plans for an $800 million expansion and the subsequent launch of a $1.4 billion concentrator plant in June 2025 — projects now at the center of legislative interest.

The outspoken voice behind the current wave of scrutiny is Nimba County Senator Nya D. Twayen. Speaking at the commissioning of AML’s new plant on June 6, Senator Twayen expressed deep frustration with what he described as the disconnect between grand investments and local realities. “What shall it profit Nimba to have a billion-dollar property in a filthy Yekepa with crumbling roads and neglected communities?” he challenged. He issued a stark warning: “AML must yield to the people’s demands or leave; simple.”

In the lead-up to the MDA renegotiations, Senator Twayen and the Nimba Legislative Caucus demanded clear accountability from AML. They insisted that infrastructure—especially the Sanniquellie–Yekepa road—must be improved, living conditions restored, housing upgraded, and local employment promised to Nimbaians before any concession renewal process could proceed.

ArcelorMittal first entered Liberia in 2005 under a landmark MDA and began exporting iron ore in 2011. Despite being one of the country’s largest private employers, the company has faced repeated criticism over its social and environmental track record. In 2022, it was fined US$110,000 by the Liberia Environmental Protection Agency for sewage discharge. Portions of the 2021 amendment were suspended due to lawmakers’ concerns over extant commitments .

The parliamentary demand for a five-year accountability report reflects a broader push for transparency and equitable resource governance. Lawmakers are determined to verify whether AML’s expansion generated proportional community benefits and if the Liberian state received its rightful share through the government’s 30 percent equity stake.

By: David S. Johnson | Staff Reporter | editor@thepointafricanews.com