Africa-Press – Liberia. The leadership and members of the National Bomi County Association in the Americas (NBCAA) have commended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his strong position statement, addressing concerns relative to the activities of Western Cluster Liberia Limited in the country.
Western Cluster, an Iron Ore mining company, operates in the western region, which includes Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu counties. However, the operations of the company have come under immense pressure in the past few years due to the undesirable manner in which it operates, coupled with the clandestine way in which the company reemerged after years of absence.
The President recently voiced apprehensions about the company’s operations in the western region, highlighting issues such as the impact on road infrastructure, traffic congestion, environmental hazards, and safety risks to motorists.
The ongoing road damage in Gbarpolu, Bomi, and the route to the Freeport of Monrovia prompted discussions about the company’s presence in Liberia and the potential option of closure.
During a visit to inspect a road rehabilitation project in Bomi, President Boakai expressed his firm stance on addressing the situation with Western Cluster. He underscored the need for potential consequences due to the company’s activities and emphasized the importance of considering alternate solutions, such as building a railway, if the company wishes to continue investing.
Pres. Boakai said, “I just met the lawyer for Western Cluster this morning and I told him we’re going to close them down. Minister let me tell you, if we don’t close Western Cluster down, we’ll lose the bridges, we’ll lose those bridges and it’ll be disastrous… I went on the hill the last time, Western Cluster is not mining, they’re just taking our resources and we get no reward for it. I told him emphatically this morning that we’re going to close them down… If they want to invest further, then build a railway.”
A few days after the President’s outburst, NBCAA in a letter of support written to the President applauded him for standing up to the Iron Ore giant and threatening to put an end to the company’s operations in the country due to its failure to live up to its commitments to the government and the Liberian people.
“NBCAA applauds your emphatic statement about shutting down Western Cluster Mining Company activities for violation of the terms of their concession agreement with the Government of Liberia,” The letter, signed by L Vannie B Mamey, NBCAA/BOMI-USA Secretary General, and approved by Musa V. Willie, President–NBCAA/BOMI-USA, stated. “This step aligns with our expectations and reflects a positive stride towards ensuring accountability, public and environmental safety, and fairness in resource management.”
The group added, “In furtherance of your commitment to ethical governance and sustainable development, the NBCAA urges the Government of Liberia to suspend and investigate the Iron Ore Tailing Mining Agreement entered into between some legislators and leaders of Bomi County; and Kongo Mining Liberia (KML). According to our analysis, the Agreement has serious flaws that prevent it from adequately safeguarding the interests of Bomi County and its inhabitants.”
NBCAA also presented to the President, a copy of the Kongo Mining Liberia (KML) Agreement along with its (NBCAA) detailed position statement outlining its concerns on the Western Cluster MOU.
“Rest assured, NBCAA stands ready to collaborate fully with your administration in advancing the development agenda for Bomi County and Liberia as a whole,” the diaspora Bomi citizens organization told the President in the letter.
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