Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount, Liberia - The Chief Executive Officer of Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC) has detailed the company's ambitious expansion project, which he said aims to double the annual plant capacity from four million tons of gold annually to eight million tons.
BMMC is a flagship operation of Avesoro Resources, a privately owned mining firm focused on West Africa. It operates several mines, including the New Liberty Gold Mine, Liberia's first commercial gold mine.
In a chat with the media following a guided inspection tour of the facility by Vice President Jeremiah Kpang Koung and Mines and Energy Minister, R. Matenokay Tingban, CEO Serhan Umurhan pointed out that this industrial growth is expected to generate thousands of new employment opportunities.
Over 2,000 New Jobs Insight
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With current employment standing at 9,000, Mr. Umurhan indicated that the new expansion has the capacity of potentially increasing the total workforce to over 11,000 employees - an increment of 2,000 new workforce.
The Bea Mountain CEO affirms the company's commitment to local involvement by training Liberian workers for managerial roles to overcome the historical lack of local mining expertise.
"As capacity increases, you need more manpower. When we were producing four million tons, there was certain number of people to produce that four million tons. Now when you increase to eight million tons, then you have to increase your capacity because you need equipment operators; you need more drivers. As your plant capacity increases, you need more people for these plants and other departments also need some expansion and we need workers for them," explained the BMMC CEO.
Addressing concerns about limited Liberian participation in senior management and contracting opportunities, Umurhan acknowledged the issue and highlighted ongoing efforts to build local capacity.
He noted that when operations began nearly, Liberia lacked experienced professionals in large-scale gold mining, making it difficult to immediately place Liberians in top management roles. However, he said this is changing.
"When you looked at the skills people, it was difficult to find before because there was any commercial gold mine in Liberia. But within 10 years, we have made a good success story in Liberia in commercial gold mining," he said, adding that the company is actively investing in skills development to further increase local representation at higher levels.
Umurhan discloses that expansion project is expected to have a direct impact on the people of Grand Cape Mount County, particularly in communities within the company's concession area.
Liberia, Favorable Destination For Investment
Although there had been some hurdles along the way, CEO Umurhan says Liberia is a favorable and welcoming investment destination.
He recounted the strong bond of positive relationship that has subsisted between the company and the people since it began operations in 2013, noting that the environment has felt "like home" throughout the years of investment.
"Liberia has its advantages and disadvantages, but for us, we always feel like we are in our own country," he noted as he highlighted the warmth of Liberians and the company's longstanding collaboration with local communities.
Bea Mountain Mining Corporation, which began gold production in 2016, Umurhan told reporters, has steadily expanded its operations despite early challenges, including limited infrastructure and a shortage of skilled labor due to the absence of a prior commercial gold mining industry in the country.
Umurhan credited the company's sustained investment and commitment for helping to build what he described as a "success story" for Liberia's mining sector.
Construction of Sports Academies
As part of the shared vision of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and company, the BMMC CEO disclosed that the company has started the implementation of plan for the construction of two sports academies.
As part of the plan, he explained that the academies will identify and enroll kids from age, 12.
"When we identify these kids, we will take them to our sports academy in Monrovia. Now, we are constructing three pitches and one academy building which has 70 rooms. They will stay there and they will go to school and then they will go for practice and training. They will be given the opportunity to become professional sports players in the world."
Umurhan is upbeat that the success of these academies will have a trigger down positive impact on the country's national soccer squad - the Lone Star.
"This is going to affect football quality and it's going make a better Liberia national team. The same success we make in the mine, we want to make the same success in football sector," he added.
VP Koung - It's Good For The Government And People
In brief response to a question posed to him by this writer during the guided tour regarding BMMC's expansion project, Vice President Jeremiah Kpang Koung expressed optimism that this investment will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of citizens.
VP Koung stated that the new investment plan, which aims to increase revenue and provide jobs, is in alignment with the government's development agenda.
"Yeah, this is good for our government and it's good for our people. It's going to provide new employment opportunities for our people," VP Koung asserted.
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Mines Minister Endorses Company's Expansion, Says Liberia Is Moving To A Noble Height
The Minister of Mines and Energy Minister, R. Matenokay Tingban, has expressed government's support for these developments, noting that the expansion will significantly boost national revenue.
"Expansion of Bea Mountain concession means increase in revenue and infrastructure. Liberia is set to move to a noble height. Though there was budget increment, this is not where we supposed to be as a country. This expansion comes with a lot of opportunities and all we encourage our investors is to live within the confines of the law of this country."
With regards to the exploration of raw materials, Minister Tingban says there is high level of at the concession with strong monitoring mechanism in place.
"We are on top of our game in terms ensuring compliance. The Bureau of Concession is on top of that as part of a joint government initiative. We are not just sitting and watching. There is a whole control room with CCTV that monitors everything here. There is high level of transparency of the activities done here. There are still problems, but there are good parts that we must mention in our reportage," the Minister among other things stated.
