AFTER REPORTED ILLICIT SALES OF SCRAPS IN KOKOYAH, AUTHORITY INTRODUCES TWO LICENSED VENDORS AS LEGITIMATE BUYERS
March 19, 2025
By Matalay Kollie –0886888153/777533373
BOTOTA, Bong: To combat the reported illicit sales, and stealing of Scraps Irons in Kokoyah Statutory District, the leadership of Bong County has officially introduced two licensed Scraps vendors to the Statutory Leadership of the district to serve as ”Legitimate Buyers” of Scraps materials given to the County by ArcelorMittal Liberia.
The two vendors are Ansu Sesay and Kojo Massalay, both Sesay Brothers Inc. and Leelah Scraps Business, respectively. The scrap irons are damaged rails, tie-plates, and joint bars extracted from the railroad by ArcelorMittal from Grand Bassa, passing through Bong to Nimba County.
These scrap irons are turned over to Bong, Nimba, and Grand Bassa counties, the three affected communities in the company’s operational areas as benefits for using their areas to carry out concession activities.
As a means of “Fair play and Transparency” in this process, Alcelormenttal Liberia entered into an agreement with the three counties to give seventy percent (70%) of the scrap irons to each affected community while thirty percent (30%) to each county’s leadership for development purposes.
During the official unveiling ceremony of the two companies and their executives, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Botota, Tukpahblee Administrative District, Bong County Administrative Officer Sam Elliott admonished the district’s leadership and citizens of the affected communities to collaborate with the two individuals in the transactions of their scrap’s irons. Mr. Elliott further told a gathering dominated by residents of the district that the selection process of the two individuals was done through competitive and thorough vetting processes to ensure transparency and fairness.
The Bong County Administrative Officer also emphasized that the selection of the two vendors was part of a commitment to maintaining integrity and promoting legitimate business practices in the district, noting that the act of illegal vendors rubbing the Kokoyah district residents has come to an end.
However, Mr. Elliott also called on the selected vendors to incorporate other local vendors of the district to buy under their guidance, as a means of empowering them to get vast experience in the business and to also obtain their licenses. He then tasked Mr. Isaac Freeman, Officer-in-charge of Kokoyah Statutory District, with the responsibility of touring the entire affected communities with the two vendors to introduce them to all the affected communities and acquaint them with all parties involved.
For their part, Ansu Sesay and Kojoe Massalay expressed gratitude to the county’s leadership for its farsightedness to have selected old hands like them in the business. They further pledged their individual company’s Commitment to diligently and collaboratively working with the local vendors, district leadership, and all concerned citizens in the purchase of their just benefits.
Also speaking at the unveiling ceremony, several residents of Tukpahblee, Boinsen, and Kokoyah administrative districts, including local vendors, Youth representatives, women groups, the statutory leadership, and the district’s Elder Council commended the county’s leadership for settling their long-time quest.
They recounted the untold suffering and constraints encountered in selling their scraps to unlicensed vendors over the years, highlighting the importance of introducing legitimate vendors to help combat previous challenges related to unregulated scrap dealing in the area.
The introduction of these legitimate scrap vendors, according to Josiah Topoe, Kokoyah Administrative District’s Youth President, is expected to bring greater organization and regulation to the buying process and further provide a safer and more structured environment for both the vendors and the affected communities.
