Monrovia, Liberia ~ The Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee (IMCC) on Wednesday issued a formal clarification following a front-page article published by the Daily Observer on November 11, which claimed that President Joseph Boakai had sent the revised ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) concession agreement “back to the negotiating table.”
In its statement, the IMCC stressed that at no point has a finalized or officially executed version of the revised AML agreement been forwarded to the Office of the President for review or signature. As such, the Committee described the assertion reported by the Daily Observer as inaccurate.
According to the IMCC, the AML agreement remains under internal review. The Committee said it is still conducting the necessary legal, technical, and structural vetting, including consultations with relevant stakeholders, to ensure all provisions protect the national interest. Because the document has not reached the stage of finalization, the Committee emphasized that it could not have been submitted to the President—nor returned by him.
“The agreement has not yet reached the stage of finalization required for transmission to the President,” the IMCC noted, adding that claims of the deal being sent back for renegotiation do not reflect the current status of the process.
The IMCC reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent and professional review of the AML concession and pledged that once the document is completed and formally transmitted, the Government of Liberia will provide an official update through the appropriate channels.
The Committee urged the public to rely on verified government communications concerning major concession agreements to avoid confusion stemming from premature or inaccurate reporting.
