ArcelorMittal's Liberia shipments hit a record, with 20 million tonnes planned for 2027
Its investment is approaching $4bn. A new deal will also open the Nimba railway to other miners under an independent operator from 2030.
Monrovia — ArcelorMittal Liberia shipped a record 10 million tonnes of iron ore in 2025, up from about 4 million in 2024, and expects to export more than 20 million tonnes in 2027, chief executive Michiel van der Merwe told the Liberia International Mining and Energy Conference on 28 October.
He said the company's total investment was approaching $4 billion. It includes the concentrator at Tokadeh in Nimba County, opened in June 2025 as part of a $1.8 billion expansion, and about $800 million spent on the 245km railway and the port at Buchanan, which both belong to the government.
What Liberia gets
- Shared railway: an amended agreement ratified in January makes the line a multi-user corridor, with an independent operator from 2030.
- Money: a $200 million payment tied to the extension of mining rights and rail capacity, and a community fund raised from $3 million to $5 million a year for Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa counties.
- Jobs: in May 2025, 2,555 of 2,848 full-time staff were Liberian.
The New Dawn cautions that the actual return to the country will depend on production, prices and fiscal terms.
Source: The New Dawn via allAfrica, November 2026.
