TOKADEH, NIMBA COUNTY – ArcelorMittal Government Chairman, Mr. Lakshmi N. Mittal, has introduced his firm’s dedication to finish the long-awaited Ganta–Yekepa highway challenge throughout the official commissioning of ArcelorMittal Liberia’s state-of-the-art iron ore concentrator in Tokadeh, Nimba County.
Talking within the presence of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and senior authorities officers, Mr. Mittal declared that ArcelorMittal will fulfill its dedication to finish the paving of the roughly 70-kilometer highway, which has lengthy remained a precedence infrastructure want for residents of Nimba County.
“President Boakai has all the time spoken to me concerning the significance of neighborhood,” Mr. Mittal mentioned. “We take each concern from the Authorities of Liberia very severely, and we’re dedicated to persevering with our investments in training, vocational coaching, and infrastructure—particularly the Ganta–Yekepa highway.”
Mr. Mittal’s pledge comes greater than a decade after the corporate first dedicated between US$37–40 million for the paving of the highway, which stretches from Ganta by means of Sanniquellie to Yekepa.
Though the challenge started in 2013 as a voluntary contribution exterior of the corporate’s Mineral Growth Settlement (MDA), it was stalled by the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and a subsequent downturn in international iron ore costs.
By 2023, the corporate had accomplished the highway so far as Sanniquellie. Nonetheless, the ultimate stretch to Yekepa—a key mining city—remained unpaved till now.
The highway holds essential significance for residents in Nimba County. It isn’t solely a strategic hall for iron ore exports but additionally a lifeline for surrounding communities. It connects faculties, hospitals, farms, and companies throughout the area. Its completion is predicted to cut back journey time, enhance entry to important companies, and decrease transportation prices for each individuals and items.
“For pregnant ladies needing pressing medical care, for youngsters strolling to high school, and for farmers transporting their produce to markets, this highway is greater than asphalt—it’s survival and alternative,” mentioned a neighborhood elder who attended the commissioning ceremony.
The recommitment to finish the highway is seen as a major enhance to Liberia’s improvement agenda and to President Boakai’s imaginative and prescient of rebuilding infrastructure as a cornerstone for nationwide development.
With Nimba being certainly one of Liberia’s most economically important counties, improved highway connectivity is predicted to stimulate commerce, improve mobility, and enhance entry to financial alternatives.
Merchants and transporters who’ve struggled with treacherous situations, significantly throughout the wet season, welcomed the information. “We’ve misplaced items, missed market days, and spent double on repairs due to the dangerous roads,” mentioned Marie Zoweh, a neighborhood businesswoman. “If this highway is completed, it can change our lives.”
“The individuals of Nimba matter,” Mr. Mittal said throughout his speech. “And the guarantees made to them have to be fulfilled.”
Observers say the renewed dedication might mark a turning level in restoring belief between mining corporations and native communities.
The completion of the Ganta–Yekepa highway might function each a legacy challenge for President Boakai’s administration and a logo of transformation for the individuals of Nimba County.
“It’s been a protracted wait,” mentioned Gabriel Suah, a neighborhood youth chief. “However as we speak, with this promise, there’s actual hope. We wish to see the machines return and the work start. We wish to see progress.”
With ArcelorMittal Liberia’s enlargement nicely underway and highway completion now publicly reaffirmed, stakeholders are hopeful that the subsequent section will deliver improved accountability, sooner implementation, and clear progress monitoring.
“Liberia is not only a supply of iron ore,” Mr. Mittal concluded. “It’s a accomplice in prosperity. And we’re proud to stroll that highway—actually and figuratively—with the Liberian individuals.”
