Africa-Press – Liberia. Representatives of Nimba affected communities have rebuffed Sen. Nyan Twayen for what they described as unfortunate comments he made recently regarding the Arcelor Mittal Liberia Mineral Development Agreement (MDA).
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at Capitol Hill, the affected communities, through its Spokesperson, Prince Kehwalain, distanced the affected communities from Sen. Twayen’s outburst against Arcelor Mittal Liberia.
According to Kehwalain, ArcellorMittal Liberia is on track with the MDA signed between the company and the government of Liberia, contrary to what Sen. Twayen had said.
AML has come under fire recently after Sen. Twayen railed against it for bad labor practices, and breaching every part of the MDA owed to the people of Nimba County.
The Nimba County Senator also accused the steel giant of exploitation through questionable financial practices and failing to meet its obligations to the people of Nimba, after over two decades of operations here, while reaping billions in wealth.
His outburst against AML, which had just unveiled a US1.8 billion concentrator here, was followed by a petition from the Nimba University Students Association (CONUSA) to the Liberian Legislature on Tuesday requesting that members of the Legislature take urgent action in revisiting AML MDA.
The Nimba students warned that continued neglect threatens environmental devastation, economic marginalization, amidst corporate exploitation.
But addressing the Press conference on Tuesday, members of the Nimba affected communities slammed their Senator, accusing him of self-interest, while trying to damage their reputations with AML.
According to the affected communities, they are hugely benefiting from the MDA, arguing that the company is in line with its obligations.
“What ArcelorMittal is doing in Nimba is a plus, and we cannot sit here and allow Sen. Twayen to tarnish the image of the People of Nimba, (for people) to look at us ugly as betrayers”, Armstrong Gobac Selekpoh, a member of one of the affected communities, said.
According to members of the Nimba affected communities, a review of AML MDA from the government shows that, largely, AML is following all its material MDA commitments and obligations between 2006 and April 2024.
They asserted that AML had gone beyond its MDA commitments and obligations and has invested USD 47 million in socioeconomic growth and development of communities in its operational areas and elsewhere in Liberia.
Mr. Kehwalain pointed to the railroad rehabilitation (243 km completed). Port rehabilitation (Buchanan port operational) • Reporting & Documentation (storage of records) • Employment quotas (met or exceeded all MDA targets) Secondment of Government staff. Vocational Training Center (rehabilitated and expanded) Advanced Scholarships Program (99 awarded, 46% graduated) Access to schooling for dependents (1,080 students enrolled) • Taxes and royalties (over $424 million paid) • Security (concerning human rights and VPSHR standards) Community health infrastructure investments (e.g., clinics, hospitals).
“Sen. Nyan doesn’t care about the nearly 10,000 jobs created by AML, but he is bent on pushing the company out of Liberia by his shameful comments.
“We distance ourselves from Senator Nyan, and we are not going to support any politician to sit in Monrovia and incite us wrongly, “Kehwalain lamented.
He has done nothing for us since he took over. he has not been able to report to the people of Nimba, and not even to identify with communities, the affected communities said.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that ArcellorMittal Liberia has come under huge criticisms of breaching the MDA in Nimba County by a sitting lawmaker.
In 2022, former Nimba County electoral District#7 Representative Roger Domah slammed the steel giant for failing to meet its commitments.
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