Over 150 stakeholders gathered in Gbarnga, Bong County at the Catholic Pastoral Center on Saturday, August 5th, to engage with ArcelorMittal in a ‘two-way’ discussion. The second of its kind, the annual conference brought together a cross section of stakeholders, including representatives from Nimba, Bassa and Bong Counties, the Liberian government, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, United Nations agencies and ArcelorMittal. “We went with the idea of listening to all sides,” said Anyaa Vohiri, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia. As stakeholders expressed their concerns, expectations, and opinions, a lot of focus was placed on employment and impact on the communities, especially with regard to environment, resettlement, and information dissemination.
Marcus Wleh, Corporate Responsibility Manager for ArcelorMittal Liberia and organizer of the event said: ‘We are preparing this year for our first production and shipment of iron ore. Stakeholder engagement is a core corporate responsibility strategy of ArcelorMittal. Through this forum we pro-actively engage with local communities that are directly or indirectly affected by our operations.” With Liberia’s last shipment of iron ore from the port of Buchanan dating nearly 20 years ago, in 1992, the Government of Liberia and the Liberian people are hopeful, yet cautious, about ArcelorMittal’s revitalization of the industry. “We (EPA) want to be sure that ArcelorMittal complies with the environ
mental laws of Liberia,” stated Anyaa Vohiri. “This forum presents a chance for all of us to come up with recommendations to strengthen the relationship,” she further noted. “There are still points of mutual concern; however, we are making progress to address these” Assistant Minister of Mines, James Gbarbea stated.
“Following up on the March 2010 conference, the Company was recognized for delivering on its community commitments in the areas of compensation, implementation of projects such as new markets construction, safety programs, infrastructure and consultation with communities”, says Jerry Fumba, Resettlement Officer and Head of the Community Liaison Unit in Yekepa. ArcelorMittal’s grievance and mine resettlement coordination committees (MRCC) were also considered two great results from the previous March 2010 conference. ‘’We have a long-term commitment. As a leader in corporate responsibility in Liberia, we will work hard to continue to set the pace for effective engagement both at the grassroots and national level.” said Marcus Wleh.
