Senator Varpilah Leads Engagement for Sports Academy in Grand Cape Mount
Abraham Sylvester Panto 
CAPE MOUNT, LIBERIA: Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Dabah Varpilah, has formally engaged President Joseph Boakai in high-level discussions aimed at establishing a modern Sports Academy in the county.
The Senator is pressing for the inclusion of the facility in the re-consideration deal of the Bea Mountain Mining Company (BMMC) operations in the county.
The advocacy followed the Senate parallel oversight of the company and community pressure continues to mount following the President’s 2026 State of the Nation Address that prioritized Montserrado and Bong for two high-tech academies.
According to Senator Varpilah, the meeting with President Boakai on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 focused on strategic development priorities for Grand Cape Mount, underscoring the county’s reservoir of athletic talent and the existence of land already designated for sports development.
She described the proposed academy as a planned infrastructure investment rather than an improvised political demand.
“The urgent need to establish a modern Sports Academy in Grand Cape Mount, recognizing the county’s abundant talent and the existing designated land committed for sports development,” she stated.
During the discussions, Senator Varpilah formally requested that any framework linked to BMMC be expanded to include financial or logistical support for the construction of a long-awaited sports facility in Cape Mount, framing the mining company as a responsible partner in local social development.
President Boakai, while stopping short of a definitive commitment, indicated willingness to engage relevant government agencies, community representatives, and private-sector stakeholders to examine the feasibility and structure of the proposal within existing development arrangements.
In the course of deliberations, the Senator made a formal case for corporate participation in the project, stating that he “requested that plans involving the Bea Mountain Mining Company be expanded to include support for the construction of this long-awaited sports facility in Cape Mount.”
The renewed push comes after the President’s announcement that BMMC would collaborate with the government to build two advanced sports academies in Montserrado and Bong counties, a decision that triggered backlash from Grand Cape Mount officials and residents who argue that the primary host county of BMMC’s mining operations should be the first to benefit.
'President Boakia has taken our proposals into serious consideration and expressed his support for further engagement with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the realization of this vital project,' she
Beyond the academy dispute, Senator Dabah Varpilah has consistently demanded a review of the BMMC concession agreement, citing a sharp disparity between the scale of mineral extraction and the persistent infrastructural and socioeconomic deficits in operational communities such as Kinjor, while fellow Senator Simeon B. Taylor has cautioned against advancing academies elsewhere before one is secured for Grand Cape Mount.
