Liberia: ArcelorMittal Becomes Headline Sponsor of National County Sports Meet

ArcelorMittal's CEO, Jozephus Cownen (L), and Youth and Sports Minister D. Zoegar Wilson shake hands after signing the sponsorship deal.

 

— Provides US$275K 

It took a while before the Ministry of Youth and Sports finally convinced ArcelorMittal Liberia to become the main sponsor of the biggest sporting event in Liberia, the national county sports meet.

The partnership was established after ArcelorMittal, the largest steel and mining company in the world, donated US$120,000 to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the event's previous edition.

Finally, ArcelorMittal has been named the primary sponsor of the National County Sports Meet.

At the unveiling ceremony held at a hotel in Monrovia on Monday, November 14, Minister of Youth and Sports Zoegar Wilson announced ArcelorMittal Liberia as the main sponsor of the county meet.

The sponsorship agreement is worth $275,000.

Of that sum, US$25,000 will be distributed among the counties where ArcelorMittal Liberia operates: Nimba ($10,000), Bong ($7,500), and Grand Bassa ($7,500).

US$75,000 from the balance of US$250,000 will be distributed among the 15 counties for preparation with each county receiving US$5,000, while the balance of US$175,000 will be used as “operational funds.”

“Today’s event, unveiling our headline support for the National County Sports Meet ─ the biggest sporting event in Liberia, signifies another milestone that accentuates the strong partnership between ArcelorMittal and the people of Liberia.”

“We celebrate our contributions to the National County Sports Meet and can confidently say, we too are ‘County Meet Champions’ through the pride brought by Grand Bassa, Bong, and Nimba Counties when they became champions,”  Jozephus Cownen, Arcelor Mittal Liberia’s Chief Executive Officer, said in his remarks. 

It is not surprising that the mining company has become the main sponsor of the biggest sporting event in the nation after initially only supporting its three operating counties.

The company has supported the Liberia Marathon consistently over the years, most recently serving as the event's primary sponsor.

With this most recent move the company has made, we could witness a significant change not only in national county sports but also in the nation's national football league.

This is in response to a request made by Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado  County that the company finds a team in the national league to support as well. 

“Don't just support our county meet; support a team, like LAMCO. LAMCO had a team called LAMCO Enforcers. Help us to develop and grow our national league,” Senator Dillion said.

The company could heed this call and decide to support a team in the national league, much like the engagement made by Youth and Sports that ultimately led to the company becoming the primary sponsor of the county meet.