GANTA, Nimba – Nimba’s eighth district representative, Larry P. Younquoi, has written to the 54^th  National Legislature to investigate the reductions in the social fund payment of ArcelorMittal to the three beneficiary counties—Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa.

The steel giant has an agreement with the Liberia government to extract iron ore from the Nimba mountains and as part of its social benefit payment to the affected counties, Nimba is expected to directly receive US$1.5 million annually, while Bong should benefit from US$0.5 million, and Grand Bassa should receive US$1 million.

Younquoi said for three years now, the three counties have received only half of the expected amount. He said he therefore wants his colleagues to invite ArcelorMittal’s managers to explain why they reduced the benefits.

“I felt that this is not something that I could contain by myself,” Younquoi said. “So, I just briefly passed it by my colleagues of the caucus, and then placed the communication on the floor.”

Younquoi said the amount Nimba was being allotted had reduced significantly more than the other counties, even though the company mines within the county.

“I perused the draft National Budget for 2018/2019, and to my amazement, discovered that Nimba’s amount had been dropped by more than two-thirds – meaning that Nimba will be receiving a little over US$400,000—to be precise, US$433,000,” he said.

Younquoi noted that the other two counties (Bong and Grand Bassa) are now receiving more money in the budget than Nimba.

“Bong’s supposed to receive US$250,000, but instead, she is receiving US$256,000,” he said. “But Nimba, which is supposed to receive around U$750,000, disgracefully got less than US$500,000.”

Younquoi said he wants to know the source of the benefits reduction – whether it is from the Government of Liberia, or ArcelorMittal itself.

Rep. Jeremiah Kpan Koung, who also represents a district in Nimba and is the co-chair on the House’s Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance, provided insight on the reduction. He noted that in 2014, when the price of iron ore dropped on the world market, the government agreed for ArcelorMittal to provide to the three counties 50 percent of the benefit payments until 2020, when the price of iron ore was expected to have gone back up.

Koung promised to make copies of the revised agreement available to the media and other interested parties. He did not explain why the other two counties are receiving more than Nimba in this year’s draft budget.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah