Yekepa, Nimba County – With dozens of units under active renovation in Yekepa’s Area R, ArcelorMittal Liberia Chief Executive Officer Michiel Van Der Merwe has expressed excitement for the step taken by the company to rehabilitate housing units.
According to the CEO, the company is making significant progress on its ambitious housing rehabilitation program, with dozens of units under active renovation in Yekepa’s Area R and similar work taking place in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday during a tour of the Area R site, Van Der Merwe described the scale of the project as “massive” but vital for improving the living conditions of AML employees and residents in host communities.
The CEO emphasized that the renovations is part of AML’s wider community investment strategy, aim to not only improve housing but also stimulate local economies, boost morale, and create sustainable benefits for residents in its concession areas.
“We are very excited to be doing these renovations. Around here, we’re currently busy with 24 houses that we are renovating, using four local contractors. As they finish these houses, we will move into the next 40,” he said.
“It is impossible to give everybody accommodation at once, but we are committed to making sure that our people have a proper place to stay,” the CEO emphasized the project’s economic benefits for Liberians.
“Almost 100 percent of the people working on these houses are from the communities close by, all of the wood and raw materials you see here are sourced from around Nimba and our host communities, he explained.
“I do love to see people coming to visit Yekepa to see the streetlights, proper roads, a renovated soccer field, and a sports center where people can gather, play, and enjoy communal facilities,” he said. “Over the past couple of years, there has been a steep ramp-up in what we’re doing here, children playing in the streets, grass being cut, streetlights on at night. This is the happy community we want,” Van Der Merwe Invision for Yekepa.
He confirmed that similar developments are ongoing in Buchanan. “You will see some changes there soon. We’ve already started and we’re putting in extra effort to make sure it continues,” Van Der Merwe stated.
The renovation drive is a strategic necessity as ArcelorMittal Liberia advances its Phase Two expansion project towards full implementation stage, which will see the construction with a new ore concentrator and related infrastructure like rail port and community development. This expansion is expected to create hundreds of new jobs, increasing the demand for quality housing in Yekepa and Buchanan.
By upgrading and expanding accommodation now, the company is ensuring it can meet the needs of its growing workforce while supporting a stable and well-serviced community environment for employees and their families.
