ArcelorMittal-Liberia Donates 3,000 Covid-19 Test Kits to the Fight Against Covid-19

By Democracy Watch

The world’s leading steel and mining company, ArcelorMittal Liberia, on Wednesday December 22, 2021, made yet another big donation to the government of Liberia’s efforts to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

AML whose immense impact is felt in almost every sector of our country has in buttress of its continual support to the Covid-19 fight, donated 3,000 rapid Covid-19 testing kits to the Ministry of Health. These 3,000 rapid Covid-19 test kits, in no small way, will go afar in aiding the government in its fight against Covid-19 and other re-emerging pandemics.

The donation comes at the time where the Ministry of Health is heavily challenged in procuring more testing kits to carry out rapid covid-19 testing.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, this is not the first of its kind to see AML buttressing the government’s effort in battling Covid-19. Whether health crises or not, the company has always shown remarkably its epic humanity to our people and country. During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, AML again provided to the Weah administration over 200,000 United States Dollar which accounted for both financial and material assistance to help combat the spread of the virus. These donations during the outbreak of the disease included ventilators and oxygen concentrators, mattresses, PPEs, and several consignments of hygienic and sanitary supplies.

I believe if we all can, like AML, rally our individual moral, material, and financial support to our government, we can collectively kick the coronavirus pandemic out of Liberia. We implore other companies operating in the bailiwick of Liberia to emulate the good humanitarian gesture of ArcelorMittal Liberia to show their humanity to our people and country.

Since the advent of AML, the world’s leading steel and mining company, to Liberia in 2006, it is an uncontestable fact that ArcelorMittal Liberia has vastly contributed to our ravaged health sector in no small way. Just a few months back, in an effort to build a resilient health sector by improving the facilities of our hospitals to offer quality healthcare services to our people, ArcelorMittal Liberia, again provided the sum of USD $40,000 as a grant to help renovate the General In-Patient Pediatric and the General Surgery Ward at the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital. This donation testifies to AML’s continual commitment to our country and its people.

It can be recalled during the heat of the Ebola Virus Disease, ArcelorMittal Liberia was one of the highest donors to the fight against the epidemic. When the virus overwhelmed our health sector – with lack of ambulances, mattresses at treatment centers and other protective gears, AML supported the government by spending over 5.52 million on the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus Disease across the country. Such a contribution came at the time when iron ores on the world market plummeted.

Apart from that, AML has upgraded major health facilities in and outside of its concession area and as well renovated the current infrastructure costing the company 18 million United States dollars.

Consistent with what is contained in the Mineral Development Agreement, the company rehabilitated and equipped hospitals – one in Yekepa, Nimba County and the other Buchanan in Grand Bassa County. At these two hospitals that are operated by the company in Yekepa and Buchanan, over 30,000 community dwellers receive medical care from the two hospitals.