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Liberia: Arcelor Mittal Assures Citizens
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The Inquirer (Monrovia)
17 March 2008
Posted to the web 17 March 2008
Morrison O.g. Sayon
Joseph Matthews, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ArcelorMittal, has again assured the public that what his company is committed to is the development of the country which was devastated as a result of the nearly 14 years of civil conflict.
Mr. Matthews said ArcelorMittal is in the process of transforming Liberia to a modern country but added that this can only be possible with the collective involvement of all Liberians especially those in communities where the ArcelorMittal will be operating.
Speaking over the weekend at a program marking the exchange of 'Make-a-Way' to Wheelbarrows, Mr. Matthews stressed that the best way Liberia can be developed is for the people to move out of Monrovia and go to the areas where his company has the best opportunity for the country and the government of Liberia.
Mr. Matthews said ArcelorMittal's focus is on Buchanan and Yekepa and not in the capital city. He said, "What we are going to create is a magnate of jobs so that we can get into those areas and have a good lifestyle than those in Monrovia."
On penultimate Saturday, ArcelorMittal provided over 250 Wheelbarrows to some citizens in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County in exchange for a self-made transport vehicles known as 'Make-a-Way' that have been used by some Liberians for commercial purposes on train tracks during this post-war era.
Despite the numerous dangers posed by the 'make-a-way, the self-built vehicle has been the source of income and survival for thousands of Liberians since the end of the crisis largely due to the high unemployment rate in the country.
Mr. Matthews then described the provision of the wheelbarrows to the 'make-a-way drivers as a new beginning for the people of Grand Bassa County and for Liberia in general. He said, "This is a clear indication that the company is willing to work with the community as it embarks on its operations in Liberia. We want the community to be part of ArcelorMittal as we carry out development," he then added.
ArcelorMittal's CEO, Mr. Matthews disclosed that his company will start recruiting and hiring people in April of this year. He said presently ArcelorMittal has employed closed to six hundred persons and is concentrating on employing another one thousand.
He then added that the company will employ some of the 'make-a-way drivers for three months as causal workers but will only stay on the job based on their diligence.
Grand Bassa County Superintendent, Julia Duncan-Cassell then lauded ArcelorMittal for the gesture and appealed to the company to set up some vocational training centers in Bassa to enable the citizens to be skillful in certain areas of specialization.
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Speaking on behalf of the 'make-a-way operations, Mr. Abraham Dardoe thanked ArcelorMittal for the kind gesture. He then appealed to the company to set up vocational skills training centers for them in the county in addition to the wheelbarrows. He said following a meeting with ArcelorMittal, they requested that the company bring them wheelbarrows to be used as a means of transportation as was done with the 'make-A-Rail.
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