EDITORIAL: Hailing ArcelorMittal’s People-Sensitive Investment

ARCELORMITTAL LIBERIA (AML), formerly popularly known as Metal Steel, has been celebrating its 20 years of investment in Liberia. In addition to showcasing its own achievements of the last two decades, Liberians – both government officials and ordinary citizens – have been exalting what everyone is calling its impactful, indiscriminate support to the Liberian society.

THIS FEAT IS a strange narrative in the Liberian investment mosaic. For host communities or affected population, as well as government of Liberia, have rarely been so unanimous in their favorable assessment and appreciation for a concessionaire’s activities on the home soil. Since the days of the country’s first major transactional investment beginning with Firestone to now, relations particularly between affected communities and companies have commonly been one of discord and bitterness, at times characterized by rains of lawsuits, protests and verbal hostilities.

APPARENTLY, ARCELORMITTAL LIBERIA is doing things differently, standing as a shining example of foreign direct investment that carries the sense of people-centeredness, win-win mentality and fortitude in perilous times.

TWENTY YEARS OF investment activities characterized by serial biting force majeure, including Ebola, Covid-19, coupled with unfavorable social, economic and political environments, yet the company continues to be a true friend of not only government but also stakeholders, particularly ordinary people of host communities and beyond. It would be an understatement to say AML is a true friend that must be cherished and favored in deeds and in actions. 

EVIDENTLY AND MORE elating is the fact that there has been a heap of voluntary testimonies being told by workers, employees, ordinary host-village dwellers, local and national government officials depict the AML investment not only as a disciplined and serious concessionaire in official circles, but also a people-sensitive and innovative contributor to local’s welfares. While Legislative and Executive government officials continue to praise the company for largely keeping to its side of the investment covenant signed 20 years ago, students, marketers, ordinary villagers, local chiefs and elders in all three counties affected by its operations – Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa and even far away communities – have hailed Arcelormitta Liberia for going beyond normal corporate social responsibilities in support to various demographic groups and even individual families.

SUCH A REVOLUTIONARY “concessioneering” is not only laudable as it departs from the traditional investment mode that often manifests in strained relations with government and host communities, but also shines great light for all other national and international concessionaires through which they, too, can cut the corner for the good of the nation and their investments.

IT IS OUR hope that what the company has done in its 20 years would be continued in the coming years, and that both government and host communities would continue to maintain a cordial relationship that would sustains the peace, creates better investment environment and fosters productive industrial outputs towards shared prosperity, a win-win arrangement, in the operations of the company.

WE JOIN MANY friends of the company as it celebrates its 20^th anniversary, wishing it fountains of prosperity, security and productivity now and forever more.