YEKEPA–On May 13, 2026, a high-level United States delegation comprising representatives from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the World Bank, and KRL International, on May 13, 2026, paid a two-day visit to ArcelorMittal Liberia’s Yekepa concession to assess the company’s operations and understand Liberia’s energy constraints affecting industrial growth and to examine opportunities for public-private co-investment, leveraging this massive private-sector industrial anchor to build out a robust, regional energy grid.
The delegation toured ArcelorMittal Liberia’s state-of-the-art Concentrator Plant in Tokadeh, where low-grade iron ore is processed into high-grade concentrate for export. During the visit, the delegation was guided through the facility, including a tour to the uppermost levels of the plant, where they observed the various compartments and operational processes that support the company’s mining and beneficiation activities.
Members of the delegation included Ms. K. Riva Levinson, Chief Executive Officer of KRL International; Mr. Gyude Moore, Senior Consultant, Millennium Challenge Corporation; Mr. Alieu Nyei, Head of MCC Compact Liberia; Mr. Pravin Karki, Senior Energy Specialist, World Bank; Ms. Karishma Pelham-Raad, World Bank Liberia; and Ms. Hannah Ryder, Chief Executive Officer of Development Reimagined Consultancy.
US and World Bank delegation members at AML Yekepa operations
According to members of the delegation, the visit was intended to identify key constraints to Liberia’s economic growth, particularly those stemming from limited and costly energy supply, and explore potential interventions through the MCC Compact and World Bank support.
Earlier this year, Liberia passed the MCC scorecard evaluation, meeting 12 out of 22 indicators required to qualify for compact support. This progress places Liberia in a favorable position to receive grant funding from the United States Government aimed at addressing critical energy infrastructure gaps.
Speaking during the visit, Mr. Gyude Moore noted that large industrial operators such as ArcelorMittal Liberia are significant energy consumers whose operations underscore the country’s urgent need for increased power generation and affordability.
“Power shortages remain one of Liberia’s biggest barriers to economic growth. The MCC Compact is designed to help close this gap by supporting investments that lower energy costs and expand access, Mr. Moore said.
Ms. K. Riva Levinson emphasized Liberia’s renewed opportunity for compact consideration, citing the confidence of the U.S. Government in Liberia’s current governance and reform trajectory.
For the World Bank, Mr. Pravin Karki highlighted ongoing efforts to support Liberia’s energy sector, including considerations around debt restructuring, provision of an additional turbine to complement existing infrastructure at Mount Coffee, and support for solar energy development to strengthen dry-season power supply when hydroelectric capacity declines.
ArcelorMittal Liberia’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Anthony Kocken, made a presentation on the company’s operational progress and energy needs. He disclosed that AML currently operates a 75-megawatt power system at Tokadeh to support concentrator operations, alongside substations in Yekepa and Buchanan. He noted that the company supplements its energy needs with diesel-powered generators and supply from Jungle Energy Power.
Mr. Kocken also highlighted major progress made under the company’s Phase II expansion, including significant investments in rail and port modernization. He reported that Buchanan Port is undergoing expansion with new equipment installations, while the railway has seen the replacement of wooden sleepers with steel sleepers to improve durability and efficiency.
On community development, Mr. Kocken underscored ArcelorMittal Liberia’s continued contributions to healthcare, education, vocational training, road infrastructure, and sanitation in affected communities.
He pointed to the pavement of the Ganta–Sanniquellie road as a landmark infrastructure achievement and noted the company’s continued maintenance of the Yekepa road corridor and interventions on community roads.
In workforce development, Mr. Kocken revealed that ArcelorMittal Liberia has invested approximately US$14 million in vocational training for Liberians. To date, 163 technicians have graduated from the company’s Vocational Training Center, with 138 currently enrolled. Of those trained, 122 are employed on the Concentrator Phase II Project.
Additionally, 99 Liberians have benefited from ArcelorMittal’s MDA Scholarship Program, which supports advanced studies abroad in various technical and professional disciplines.
The visit reaffirmed the strategic role ArcelorMittal Liberia continues to play in Liberia’s economic transformation, infrastructure development, and industrial growth, while highlighting the importance of sustainable energy solutions to unlock broader national development opportunities.
About The Author
