Liberia’s House of Representatives stepped up pressure on ArcelorMittal Liberia over delays to third-party access on the country’s rail system, ordering company executives and government officials to meet next week in Tokadeh to push forward a multi-user railway framework seen as key to the nation’s mining ambitions.
The House Committee on Investments and Concessions, chaired by Bong County Representative Foday Fahnbulleh, held hearing on Friday to address Ivanhoe Atlantic’s access to the Tokadeh stockpiling area in Nimba and to question ArcelorMittal’s social infrastructure commitments under its mineral development agreement.
Lawmakers directed senior decision-makers and technical experts from all parties to convene at Tokadeh on June 26 to finalize outstanding issues and advised ArcelorMittal Liberia to end delay tactics. The committee also requested briefing notes from all parties by Monday, June 22.
Representatives from the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Transport, National Bureau of Concessions and National Rail Authority attended the hearing. ArcelorMittal was represented by Marcus S. Wleh, head of External Relations and Sustainability, while Ivanhoe Atlantic was represented by Chief Operating Officer Kevin Mclean and Liberia Country Manager Henrique Caine.
Ivanhoe Atlantic said it welcomes open dialogue to resolve the dispute and move ahead with implementation of the framework agreement for the benefit of all users and Liberia’s economic prosperity.
Lawmakers also pressed ArcelorMittal to update them on its social infrastructure plan, which the company said it has submitted to the Ministry of Mines for review. The committee asked to review the plan as well.
Liberia’s rail network is viewed as strategic to the country’s development, with officials hoping it can support mining, agriculture and logistics while improving regional integration. The multi-user framework would allow several companies to access sovereign railways overseen by an independent operator.
Ivanhoe Atlantic and its local subsidiaries, Ivanhoe Liberia and Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée, are the first company to gain multi-user status alongside ArcelorMittal, the current user. Ivanhoe plans to transport iron ore from its Kon Kweni project in Guinea to the Port of Buchanan using the Yekepa-Buchanan rail line.
The framework builds on a bilateral agreement between Liberia and Guinea ratified in 2019 to allow Guinean iron ore to be exported through Liberian rail and port infrastructure.
The hearing demonstrates the Liberian government’s continued support for opening the country’s rail system to multiple users, a move that could help accelerate investment and deepen the role of infrastructure in the country’s economic agenda.
