Senator Twayen Abstains From ArcelorMittal Third Amendment; Cites Compliance Failures

CAPITOL BUILDING, MONROVIA: Nimba County Senator and longstanding critic of ArcelorMittal Liberia, Senator Nyan Twayen has reaffirmed his unwavering position on concession accountability, formally abstaining from the Senate vote on the Third Amendment to the Mineral Development Agreement, citing the company’s persistent failure to honor its social and operational obligations and the continued absence of enforceable compliance mechanisms.

Senator Twayen's decision follows the Senate concurrence, with the agreement positioned as a flagship pillar of President Joseph Boakai’s ARREST Agenda."

Addressing the media on Thursday, January 29, the Nimba lawmaker emphasized that abstention should not be interpreted as a principled legislative position anchored in his constitutional responsibility as lead senator on concession compliance, particularly given ArcelorMittal’s long record of unmet commitments to host communities across Nimba County.

"My decision to abstain is guided by a record of noncompliance and my responsibility to ensure that commitments to affected communities are fully implemented," Senator Twayen stated.

Through sustained legislative pressure, the Senator compelled the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee and ArcelorMittal Liberia to confront major omissions within the draft amendment, successfully securing explicit social benefit provisions, including the paving of the Sanniquellie–Yekepa highway, rehabilitation of internal concession roads, construction and maintenance of key bridges, and expanded investment in healthcare and educational facilities serving affected communities.

His interventions also produced measurable financial revisions, including a two hundred million United States dollar signature bonus, an increase in annual mining license fees from fifty thousand to five hundred thousand United States dollars, and an elevation of annual social development funding from three million to five million United States dollars, gains achieved through intensive legislative scrutiny.

“We ensured a two hundred million United States dollar signature fee, increased annual mining license fees from fifty thousand to five hundred thousand United States dollars, and enhanced social development contributions from three million to five million United States dollars annually," he explained.

Beyond fiscal adjustments, Senator Nyan Twayen claimed to have played a central role in restructuring the amendment to consolidate and restate the original Mineral Development Agreement, introducing explicit termination and revision clauses while eliminating provisions that would have enabled automatic twenty-five-year extensions. 

The revised framework further affirms government ownership of rail and port infrastructure and establishes Rail System Operating Principles designed to regulate third-party access, marking a structural shift toward transparency and national control within Liberia’s extractive sector.

“We received written commitments that the obligations to Nimba County will be corrected and implemented, but we remain vigilant; oversight will determine whether these promises translate into real benefits,” Senator Twayen asserted.

In addition, the senator compelled both the Executive Branch and ArcelorMittal Liberia to formally acknowledge clerical and substantive deficiencies in the agreement, including the initial exclusion of Nimba County from critical social obligation clauses, securing written commitments for correction while maintaining that credibility must be demonstrated through performance rather than promises.

Despite the amendment’s expansive ambitions, Senator Twayen ultimately chose abstention as a deliberate balance between economic momentum and institutional caution.

“Abstention was the only responsible choice to balance progress with caution. Our vigilance continues, and we will ensure that ArcelorMittal delivers tangible, verifiable outcomes for Nimba County and the Republic of Liberia,” he stated.

Senator Twayen maintained that progress without accountability risks repeating historical failures, stressing that sustained legislative oversight remains indispensable to ensuring that the agreement produces verifiable, durable, and equitable benefits for affected counties and the country at large.