Ivanhoe Liberia, a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Atlantic, shares the details of its extensive community engagements in communities along the rail corridor between Yekepa to Buchanan in Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa Counties. The engagements were outlined in the Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagement chapter of its Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), independently produced by Earthtime, one of Liberia’s leading environmental and social consulting firms. The ESIA is now under review by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ESIA is part of the permitting process for project construction and development.
Information on the community engagements was released during a public hearing on the Ivanhoe Atlantic Access and Concession Agreement, where lawmakers inquired about the level of engagement conducted so far. Ivanhoe released the entire Chapter, which discusses the Stakeholder Mapping, broken into the “Affected Party” and the “Interested Party.” Affected parties included those residents in the project’s social area of influence including Gbapa, Zolowee, Camp Four, Yekepa, Big Fanti Town, Small Fanti Town, Liagbala, Yila, Botota, Yapea, Rock Crusher Community, Peace Community, Green Hill Quarry, and Zoweinta.
The report included assessing livelihood, living conditions, and vulnerabilities, which varied depending on proximity to the proposed haul road, rail, or port components. Vulnerable groups within the affected areas included lonely elderly people, women-headed families, those with a large number of children, persons with disabilities, single-parent families, and other low-income groups.
The engagements consist of high-level stakeholder and community consultations. Focus groups were conducted from March 17, 2025, to April 4, 2025, across Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa Counties with participants including Youth, Chiefs and Elders, Hunters, Zoes, Artisanal Miners, Fishermen, Transport Unions, LDEA, Civil Society, Town Commissioners, Paramount Chiefs, Community Chairpersons, among others.
Discussions centered on community concerns and expectations, grievance mechanisms, resource use, biodiversity, local governance, social structures, and other general issues of concern. The sessions allowed stakeholders to express concerns relating to community, natural ecosystems, service use, biodiversity, and project concerns.
Key concerns clearly articulated during high-level stakeholder consultations included employment and training, questions regarding the infrastructure project and scope, environmental and social impacts, compensation and benefit sharing, governance, and equity. Concerns from the community consultations centered on employment as the top priority, preferential hiring and training, livelihood risks, transport safety issues, and compensation demands for any damage or loss of crops. Ivanhoe Atlantic’s ESIA, under consideration by the EPA, outlines how it will respond to these concerns to protect the communities and environments around the project.
The ESIA’s submission to the EPA also includes the required Environmental Management Plans (EMP). Ivanhoe has announced its intention to continue to work with all stakeholders in continuing engagements with communities through its local Community Liaisons, who will be hired to maintain and manage local stakeholder relationships. Another round of stakeholder engagements is expected as the EPA conducts its due diligence on the submitted ESI report. This is in keeping with regulatory procedures and policies.
