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.
