MONROVIA, Liberia, September 1, 2026: The Government of Liberia and ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) have begun consultations on the management of a new US$5 million annual Community Development Fund under the company’s Third Mineral Development Agreement (MDA), with officials calling for the money to deliver tangible benefits to affected communities.
The consultation, held Monday at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, focused on establishing a Community Development Committee to oversee the use of funds provided by AML for communities affected by its mining operations.
The meeting brought together local authorities from Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa counties, officials of the ministries of Finance and Development Planning, Local Government, Mines and Energy, and representatives of AML.
Under the Third MDA, AML is required to contribute US$5 million annually to the Community Development Fund to support social and economic development in host and affected communities.
Government officials said the consultation is intended to develop a framework that aligns the fund with Liberia’s decentralization program and county development priorities.
Local Government Minister Francis Nyumalin said the government’s primary concern is ensuring that decisions surrounding the fund serve the interests of citizens in affected communities.
“Whatever we do must be in the interest of our people, especially the people in the counties,” Nyumalin said, describing the fund as an opportunity to channel additional resources into local development.
He said the initiative forms part of the implementation of the Third MDA and thanked Mines and Energy Minister R. Makinokey Tingba for bringing national, county and company stakeholders together to begin discussions on the fund.
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning said its involvement is intended to ensure that projects financed through the fund are consistent with national and county development priorities.
Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony Myers said the ministry’s role is largely linked to development planning and public investment through its Public Investment Unit.
Myers said the government’s development strategy includes the County Development Agenda, which identifies priority interventions across communities.
“We take this seriously and will be a part of this as long as it lasts to ensure that projects selected from the counties are a reflection of the people in line with the government’s development agenda,” Myers said.
Gov’t Wants Results
Mines and Energy Minister Tingba said the government intends to take a more proactive approach in dealing with concessionaires and ensuring that commitments contained in concession agreements are implemented.
“We want to be very proactive with the concessionaires,” Tingba said, acknowledging shortcomings in the implementation of concession obligations in the past.
“We had delinquencies with implementation of concessions in the past, and at this time we want to be fully focused so that our people can benefit,” he added.
Tingba also urged AML to look beyond traditional infrastructure projects and consider alternative livelihood programs, particularly agriculture and poultry production, for residents of concession-affected communities.
For AML, the consultation begins the process of identifying representatives who will serve on the Community Development Committee and help oversee implementation of the new funding arrangement.
AML Head of Sustainability and External Relations Marcus Wleh said the proposed committee would help translate provisions of the Third MDA into development programs for affected communities.
According to Wleh, the structure being discussed is intended to ensure that the fund is managed in a way that directly benefits the communities for which it was established.
“ArcelorMittal Liberia is committed to empowering its communities through mutually inclusive programs,” Wleh said.
The Third MDA increases AML’s annual community development contribution from the previous US$3 million paid into the County Social Development Fund to US$5 million under the new Community Development Fund.
The increase has placed greater attention on how the money will be allocated, managed and monitored, as well as how projects will be selected and implemented across affected communities.
With communities in Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa expected to benefit, discussions are likely to focus on representation on the committee, project selection and approval, the role of county authorities, and mechanisms for transparency and accountability.
Monday’s consultation marks the beginning of the process to establish the management structure for the fund and determine how AML’s annual US$5 million contribution will be translated into development projects and livelihood programs for communities affected by the company’s operations.
