Putu Iron Ore, Govt of Liberia Agreement Under Citizens Spotlight
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Tags: business, Iron Ore, mining, Putu Iron Ore Mining Company
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The mineral development agreement between the Putu Iron Ore Mining Company and the Government of Liberia is under the spotlight as citizens of Grand Gedeh County have disclosed plan to review the agreement.
Appearing on a talk show in Monrovia, three citizens of Grand Gedeh- Philip Doyee, Nathaniel Kpakpa and Dr. George S. Boley-said the gathering in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County will create awareness about the review process of the Mineral Development Agreement of the company.
The mineral development agreement for the project was formally approved by the Liberian Government in September 2010. The Putu iron ore project is part of a 425-square-kilometre exploration located in southeast Liberia.
Speaking on Farbric Radio, Dr. Boley said the committee set up will only review the agreement in collaboration with ordinary citizens to get their inputs and submit same to the national government.
“The process to review the MDA has begun and our import as affected communities is needed. To review the MDA has been the general cry of the people and other Liberians. The committee will give the citizens the opportunity to give their views before the law can be amended,”
“In past, officials will just sit down in Monrovia with investors and crafted laws, agreements, including the MDA. Times have changed. We want the people voices to be heard. The committee is the conduit of the people. We will review the MDA, they will know what in it for them and what they want to be changed and will be sent to the Government of Liberia to go into renegotiation if possible.” Dr. George Boley also speaking, Doyee decried that the people of the county did not have any input in the agreement.
“The committee should not been discussing this. Grand Gedeh County is not different from the other counties. Most of the times we make decisions on behalf of the people when they are not actually beneficial to them,” he said.
“The issue of this review is not because Grand Gedeans are crying; it is a normal process that will figure out this time around the right things to be done. They did not give the opportunity to the people to raise their concerns.”
“The people want better housing, better living conditions, safe drinking water like any other Liberians. They want to know 25 years from now what is there for them. We have heard of many concession agreements.
“Some of these agreements did not meet our own national standards, laws, conditions and requirements for concession agreements. According to the Moore Stevens report, Putu Mining Company agreement meets partial compliance. That itself is the reasons for the review. Not everything is problematic, but that did not meet our own laws setup in the country.”
