Executive Mansion,Monrovia

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has toured facilities and operation sites of two companies operating in Liberia. Facilities visited Friday include Arcelor Mittal and the Buchanan Renewable Energies, based in Grand Bassa County.

An Executive Mansion release says the Liberian leader was taken on a guided tour of company facilities by ArcelorMittal’s Executives, headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Joe Matthews.

During a power point presentation, Mittal representatives informed the President that the company’s operations in Liberia are on schedule, with the first consignment of iron ore slated to be shipped by April next year.

Mr. Matthews disclosed that the rehabilitation of the railways is one of the priority areas for the company, estimated at US $300 million dollars. The company, he said, is also conducting drilling activities and geological surveys as well as the rehabilitation of community roads in Nimba, Bong and Buchanan, as part of an overall road rehabilitation program. The 260-kilometers Buchanan to Yekepa road, he said, is expected to be completed this dry season.

Mr. Matthews said of the 600 jobs already created, half of them are full time. He said Arcelor Mittal expects to provide about 500 more jobs in the next few months during road rehabilitation.

Matthews informed the Liberian leader that illegal scrapping of rails, wagons and steel buildings remain a major challenge, and called on Government to take measures to curtail the practice.

The President has, meanwhile, urged the management of Arcelor Mittal to speed up its operations. She observed that the company’s operations were at a slower pace than she had expected, and hoped that that the world’s #1 steel giant will step up its activities.

The Liberian leader assured the company that Government will take measures to curtail the illegal scrapping of its facilities.

In a related development, President Johnson Sirleaf has applauded Buchanan Renewable Energies for the progress the company has made since its operations began three months ago.

The President described Buchanan Renewable activities as a tremendous commitment to the development needs of the country. The company, the Liberian leader recalled, began operations in Liberia without request for any special incentives from Government.

Buchanan Renewable Energies, the President said, has gone beyond its scope of duties by building roads, and contributing to other social services.

The company is currently studying the prospects of producing biomass fuel that could be used instead of diesel or heavy oil to generate electricity in the country. Buchanan Renewable Energies Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lloyd Girman, described as promising the prospects.

During the tour, the company presented two ambulances to Government. The ambulances, according to Mr. Girman, were donated by employees of the company.

Buchanan Renewable Energies has now hired a work force of 460 people in Buchanan, most of whom are Liberians. The Company specializes in chips from rubber tree trunks that are shipped abroad and processed, to produce bio-mass fuel.