MONROVIA, REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA, 22nd September 2021 – In September 2021, Nathaniel T. Blama Sr. was appointed as Government Relations Manager for Ivanhoe Liberia, reporting to the Director of Operations for the Nimba Iron Ore Project.
Mr Blama brings to Ivanhoe Liberia more than 20 years of experience in operations, administration and public policy. He worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia from 2008-14 as Programme Coordinator, Chief Technical Advisor, Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff, among other roles. From 2018-20, he served as the EPA’s Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Blama has strong experience in environmental consulting, serving in 2015-18 and 2020-21 for Planet Resources Management, Inc. (Liberia), becoming a managing partner. From 2005-08, he worked with the United Nations Environment Programme. Prior to that, he worked in the private sector with the TWIN Business Group Inc. and Unit Stone Construction Company in several capacities. He serves as chair and member of many non-profit organisations and learning institutions.
In his career, Mr Blama headed Liberia’s negotiating team on multilateral environmental agreements, representing Liberia at several international conferences including the United Nations Environment Assembly, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, and various conferences of the parties, technical and negotiators’ meetings, and capacity-building programmes of multilateral environmental agreements. He chaired the meeting of African technicians that developed Africa’s Common Position on the Sustainable Development Goals in 2013.
Mr Blama holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Liberia. He earned certificates on public policy courses from the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), and further certificates in relation to environmental subjects like climate change from technical agencies in the USA and South Africa.