In Summary:
- Several social media posts have claimed that the iron ore concentrator inaugurated by ArcelorMittal in Nimba County is the largest in Africa
- We have checked and found that these claims are incorrect.
- The Sishen mine in South Africa has iron ore concentrator plants that are larger than the AML plant in Nimba County
On June 5, 2025, ArcelorMittal Liberia inaugurated its new iron ore concentrator plant at the Tokadeh Mount in Nimba County, Liberia. Top government officials, including President Joseph Boakai, attended the event.
According to the company, the plant has a production capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum.
Following the inauguration, several online publications found here, here, here, and here, have claimed that the plant is the largest in Africa.
Besides attracting tens of thousands of reactions on social media, these posts have sparked debate in Liberia as the current Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) with the Liberian government is set to expire in 2030.
Given the claim’s importance and the potential to mislead, we decided to investigate it.
The Claim
“Africa’s largest iron ore concentrator plant has been opened in Liberia. The plant, worth US$1.8 billion, has the capacity to produce 20 million tons annually.”
Rating Justification
Following extensive Google searches and shortlisting of iron ore concentrator plants in Africa based on search keywords including “iron ore concentrators in Africa” and “Africa iron ore concentrator plants,” we found different concentrator plants linked to prominent mines such as the Sishen iron ore mine and Kolomela iron ore mines both in South Africa, the Tonkolili iron ore mine in Sierra Leone, the Simandoue mine in Guinea expected to open later this year.
At the Sishen mine, an iron ore concentrator plant already exists with a capacity of over 26 million tons per annum. In comparison, the Kolomela iron ore concentration plant has a capacity of about 13 million tons per annum, according to records. Both mines are operated under the control of Kumba Iron Ore, of which Anglo American plc holds majority shares (69.7%).
On page 27 of the Kumba Iron Ore 2024 annual report, published in February 2025, the disaggregated production capacities of the two plants are noted. The Sishen mine produced 26 million tons of iron ore in 2024.
Also, Mining Data Online, an online database platform that provides mining intelligence and opportunities in the mining sector, states that two beneficiation plants exist at the Sishen mine.
The report states that the Sishen Mine has a dense media separation plant where most of the high-grade run-of-mine is treated and a jig plant where most of the medium run-of-mine is treated.
The report notes that as of 2023, the combined run-of-mine capacity of the processing facilities at the Sishen mine is 49.7 million tonnes per annum (28.1 million tonnes per annum for the DMS plant and 21.6 million tonnes per annum for the Jig plant).
With the above, it is clear that the Sishen iron ore concentration plant is bigger than the newly inaugurated ArcelorMittal plant in Liberia, which is expected to produce 20 million tons annually.
ConclusionÂ
Based on the evidence gathered, we conclude that the claim that the recently inaugurated ArcelorMittal Liberia iron ore concentrator plant, also known as the Tokadeh concentrator plant, is the biggest in Africa is incorrect. The beneficiation plants at Sishen mine are the largest currently in Africa.
