ArcelorMittal invests nearly $4 billion in Liberia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Liberian Investigator
ArcelorMittal has invested nearly $4 billion in Liberia’s iron ore sector, including about $800 million to rehabilitate and expand the state-owned railway and port. Its chief executive in Liberia, Michiel van der Merwe, said exports should exceed 20 million tonnes in 2027, compared with less than 5 million in 2024, according to The Liberian Investigator.
ArcelorMittal has invested nearly $4 billion in Liberia’s iron ore sector, including about $800 million to rehabilitate and expand the state-owned railway and port. Its chief executive in Liberia, Michiel van der Merwe, presented the figures at the Liberia International Mining and Energy Conference and Expo, The Liberian Investigator reports.
The investments cover mines, railways, port facilities, energy and social infrastructure. ArcelorMittal Liberia plans to export more than 20 million tonnes of iron ore in 2027, compared with less than 5 million in 2024, and is ultimately considering mining production of 30 million tonnes. The expansion includes the country’s first large-scale iron ore concentrator, which processes ore into concentrate for steel mills.
The $800 million allocated to the railway corridor concerns the line linking the mines in Nimba County to the port of Buchanan. According to van der Merwe, other mining companies will be able to use the available capacity, but will have to fund the extensions needed for their operations. From 2030, an independent company is expected to operate the line under railway management principles currently being formalised.
