In Monrovia on Monday, November 14, 2022, the management of Arcelor Mittal and the Liberian government, represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, jointly signed a sponsorship deal. The agreement specified that ArcelorMittal management would support the National County Sports Meet this year. The deal, however, is for a total of $275,000; the management claims that this amount will cover the costs of the activities during the 2022/2023 National County Sports Meet.
At the signing event, Mr. Jozephus Coenen, chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal Liberia, stated that his company would continue to support the government’s efforts by putting the social contract idea into practice. ArcelorMittal, he said, has created more than 3,000 jobs for people all throughout the nation. He also pledged to sponsor future tournaments, pointing out that sports are important for the growth of every country.
D. Zeogar Wilson, Minister of Youth and Sports, made special remarks on behalf of the Liberian Government and the people. He thanked ArcelorMittal’s Management for the sponsorship and noted that this year’s National County Sports Meet would be different from previous ones. Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa Counties will be given priority when distributing the monies among the participating counties, according to Minister Wilson.
The following type of payment is mentioned by him:
Grand Bassa pays $7,500, Nimba County pays $10,000, and Bong County pays $7,500.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will each get $250,000 for the organization of the National County Sports Meet, while the participating counties will receive $5,000 USD apiece for preparation and the host counties will receive a comparable sum. He took use of the occasion to let everyone know that the 2022 National County Sports Meet would officially begin on December 17 across the nation.
For his part, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon cautioned the management of ArcelorMittal to support a team in the Liberia National league as well as the National County sports meet. He is the chairman of the Houses committee on youth and sports at the Liberian Senate. “Although we appreciated and valued your efforts, we thought it appropriate to own and sponsor a team in our National League, which will open up opportunities for athletics across the nation. The Montserrado County Senator argued that if this were to be enacted, it would help enhance the nation’s sporting industry”.
Reported by: Joseph N. Kerkula
Email: jnkerkula@gmail.com
Contact: +231777376826
