Liberia: Weah Appoints Presidential Committee to Resolve Issues With ArcelorMittal

The President of Liberia, George Manneh Weah, has met with  Lakshmi Mittal, Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal, in Doha, Qatar, and held discussions centered around resolving all outstanding issues relating to the Revised Mineral Development Agreement (“MDA”) to be signed between the Government of Liberia and ArcelorMittal (Liberia) Ltd.

Accordingly, Weah has appointed, with immediate effect, a Special Presidential Committee of the Government of Liberia to work with an ad-hoc committee that is to be established by Mittal, to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the MDA.

Those appointed on November 29,  to the Special Presidential Committee are Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet, Chairman;  Emanuel L. Shaw II, Advisor to the President, Member; and Cllr. Archibald Bernard, Legal Advisor to the President, Member, and Secretary to the Committee.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman, the President has mandated the Committee to meet with and engage any and all relevant authorities of the Government of Liberia and ArcelorMittal and any other stakeholders, either individually or collectively, whenever and wherever deemed appropriate in the sole discretion of the Committee, in order to ensure the finalization and implementation of the above-mentioned MDA within a reasonable time frame, and report back to his Office with its findings, recommendations, and advice.

The Liberian Leader has further directed the Special Presidential Committee to work assiduously and collaboratively in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities, in order to find a durable solution that will have due regard to the legitimate interest of all parties, while always upholding and protecting the supreme national interest of the Government and People of Liberia.