Breaking: Senate Authorizes AML 3rd MDA, Unlocks $200M Bonus and Multi-County Development

CAPITOL BUILDING, MONROVIA: The Liberian Senate has officially concurred with the House of Representatives on the passage of the Third Amendment to the Mineral Development Agreement between the Government of Liberia and ArcelorMittal Liberia, a decisive legislative action that activates a $200 million signature bonus while unlocking expanded mining operations and coordinated development interventions across Bong, Grand Bassa, and Nimba counties. 

The concurrence, reached during plenary sitting on Thursday, January 29, 2026, completes the constitutional process required for the amended agreement to take full legal effect.

The decision followed the adoption of a comprehensive report submitted by the Senate Joint Committee on Lands and Mines, Concessions and Investment, Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, and Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petition, which was mandated by Plenary on January 13, 2026, to subject the proposed amendment to rigorous technical, legal, and economic scrutiny prior to advising the body on its national relevance.

In executing that mandate, the Joint Committee convened a public hearing on January 21, 2026, during which the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Concessions presented detailed submissions outlining the strategic justification, fiscal structure, and long-term development value embedded within the amendment. 

Central to the framework is the extension of ArcelorMittal Liberia’s concession term through December 20, 2050, accompanied by a phased production expansion from 15 million wet metric tons per annum by 2027, to 20 million by 2031, and ultimately to 30 million wet metric tons annually thereafter.

The concurrence follows the House of Representatives’ overwhelming approval of the amendment on January 20, 2026, by a 51–0 vote with two abstentions, concluding a legislative process that once stalled in 2021 amid infrastructure governance concerns and averting an estimated $30 million revenue loss previously projected by fiscal authorities.

The fiscal architecture of the Third Amendment introduces an upfront payment of $200 million to the Government of Liberia, reinforced by a substantial increase in the annual mining license fee from $50,000 to $500,000. In parallel, the agreement strengthens community participation through an enhanced Community Development Fund valued at $5 million annually, designated to support social and economic development initiatives within affected communities in Bong, Grand Bassa, and Nimba counties.

Beyond direct revenue inflows, the amendment formally confirms government ownership of strategic rail and port infrastructure and establishes a Rail System Operating Principles framework that transitions the Yekepa-to-Buchanan railway corridor into a multi-user regime. Through this mechanism, the state is positioned to generate sustainable income from third-party rail access, with 30 percent of net profits from rail capacity leasing accruing directly to the Government of Liberia.

The agreement further embeds extensive infrastructure and social commitments, including the maintenance of community roads, the rehabilitation of the St. John River Bridge and the KM 2.5 Bridge linking Buchanan’s city center to the concession loop, and the upgrading of health facilities in Yekepa and Buchanan. 

Additionally, a $4.6 million allocation has been secured for the construction of three medical facilities in Nimba and Grand Bassa counties, alongside the establishment of a vocational training institute intended to equip residents with skills aligned to employment opportunities generated by the company’s expanded operations.

Employment localization provisions form a central pillar of the amendment, mandating that at least 50 percent of senior management positions be occupied by qualified Liberians within three years, while guaranteeing designated job categories exclusively for Liberian citizens.