By Nathan N. Mulbah
The unfortunate history associated with railways track operations in the past, where only iron ore mining concession companies had access to the use of the tracks is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
That bleak past mining history of Liberia saw the National Iron Ore Company (NIOC) operating in the Bomi belt from 1958 until 1977. The company was involved in the exploitation of the Mano River iron ore deposits in the country during that period. Iron Ore were being ferried from the Mano River sites to Monrovia using railways link covering 145km that was for the exclusive use of the concessionaires with no access to the locals.
The Liberian American Swedish Mining Company otherwise known as (LAMCO JV Company) started mining operation in Liberia in 1955 and operated in the country for approximately 36 years. The company built a 360km long railroad to transport their ores from Nimba to Buchanan. This railway was for the exclusive use of the concessionaires and not the locals except for special arrangements.
A third embarrassing mining operation in Liberia was the Bong Mining Company. Bong Mining Company, commonly known as BMC, was a German-Italian Iron Ore mining company that started mining operations in Liberia in 1958 and operated until 1990.The company also had railway tracks from Bong Mines in Bong County to the Freeport of Monrovia for its exclusive use, ferrying Iron Ore while the local people never had access to those tracks
However, at long last, the story is about to change gradually. A historical development unfolded in Liberia recently with the Government of Liberia (GOL) signing a Concession Access Agreement (CAA) with the Ivanhoe Atlantics Incorporated giving that entity the right to access railway linking Mount Nimba in Yekepa to the Port of Buchanan located in Grand Bassa County.
This agreement has been reached after a discussion period of about six years with the Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee of the Republic of Liberia. This, in my mind, is the harbinger to local people having access to the railways tracks of company mining and ferrying our iron ores in the name of so-called mining concession agreements.
Also during the same period, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia graded Ivanhoe Atlantics positively after an Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) was done on the company’s work plans thus making Ivanhoe the first international company to have the right to utilize that rail corridor alongside the current railway user, Arcellor Mittal.
Now that we have reached this far, we are certain that eventually we are headed for a noble height that will catapult our dear nation to a rewarding economic zone.
Notably, this development did not just emerge from the blues, it has come about as a result of long-time planning and engineering with sound political leadership and calculation from the offices of both President George M. Weah and President Joseph N. Boakai.
Prior to the 2024 renewal of the Executive Order giving rise to the establishment of a National Railway Authority, there were Executive Orders upholding the same quest in the absence of the National Legislature passing a law creating a substantive National Railway Authority.
Sensing the vital and vibrant role that a national railway entity plays in building a strong national economy, President Boakai issued Executive Order 163 in October 2025 as a sequel to one issued in 2022, 2023 and 2024 ordering the establishment of a National Railway Authority. According to the Executive Order, it shall remain in effect until the legislature enacts the formal legislation establishing the Liberia National Railway Authority.
That the Government of Liberia has committed to implementing the multiuser regime of our railway tracks gladdens our hearts and we are sure that in the not-too-distant future the economic dividends will be reflected in our national lives.
Aside from the politics and apparent trade war that subsisted between big concession holdings contesting for monopoly over the right to use railways, we wish to emphasize the aspect of the Executive Order that provides for the provision of transportation of goods, especially agriculture products, that are grown in the catchment areas of the railways and the transportation of person living along those railway corridors.
Interestingly, the establishment of the National Railway Authority (NRA) is not only vital for Ivanhoe Atlantics Incorporated and other mining concession operations in Liberia but is certainly a harbinger to other underlining national affairs that trigger growth and development in a significant way.
The Executive Order establishing NRA mandates that the entity will be responsible for overseeing and managing Liberia’s National Rail Assets. Its key functions will be developing policies and governance rules for managing the country’s rail assets; appointing qualified rail regulators to oversee the use, operation, and development of the rail infrastructure.
Essentially, the Executive Order mandates that NRA will draft a National Rail Authority Act to be submitted to the National Legislature for passage into law which will make the NRA a substantive state entity.
Now that we have come this far as a country bent on achieving the best for national growth and development, the NRA’s mandate is to ensure that the rail infrastructure is used in a manner that promotes national development and regional integration. It aims to create modern, regulated and inclusive railway sector that serves as a backbone for national development.
Realistically speaking, we acknowledge the high-tension and deep politics that have surrounded making railways operations in Liberia open to multiusers including ordinary citizens living in the catchment areas of the railways.
However, it is prudent for us to assert herein that railway transportation is a backbone of strong economies and national development because it lowers costs, connects regions, boosts trade and support industrial growth while being more sustainable than road transport.
Experts in transportation service provision have invariably observed that countries that invest in railways often see faster economic integration, reduced congestion and expanded opportunities for rural and urban communities.
It is anticipated that key economic outcomes could come with the implementation of a robust railway system. Some of the outcome include efficient movement of goods and people; boost to trade and connectivity; Lower transportation cost; contribute to national development; rural inclusion and environmental sustainability.
When we allow our railway to pick up and become a multiuser corridor, we will have our rural folks living along the railway corridors bringing their goods and farm products to the city centers in a jiffy for affordable costs.
Additionally, the operation of the railway sector in an organized manner has the proclivity of creating jobs and making our dear country a place worth visiting.
Indeed, it is a foregone conclusion that access to railway corridors at different points across the country is a giant step to building a sound resourceful national economy, growth and development.
