MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia (GOL), through the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy has instituted several measures intended to help curtail what it calls “dissident mining” and improve income generation in the country’s mining sector.
Addressing a news conference held in Monrovia on Monday, October 28, 2019, Lands, Mines and Energy Minister Gesler E. Murray disclosed that Liberia’s resources are being plundered by those he called “mining dissidents.”
He noted that most of these mining fields are being denudated by local and foreign mining dissidents, something which is responsible for the decline in revenue generation from the mining sector.
“It is alleged that foreign nationals in collaboration with our own Liberian citizens are encouraging the plundering of our various resources across the country, mainly gold and diamonds. So, we cannot leave the situation unabated,” he noted.
According to him, illicit mining sites are also associated with the increase in prostitution, illicit drugs and minerals smuggling in and out of Liberia.
“Secondly, we have social implications. Usually, illicit minings’ sites are associated with an increase in prostitution as well as the use of illicit drugs. We have to put a lid of these activities,” he added.
“Thirdly, there are economic implications. We are experiencing economic losses from these activities. The local miners do not have the proficiency to recover minerals in an optimal manner,” he stated.
The Lands, Mines and Energy Ministry boss indicated that Liberia continues to lose minerals worth millions of dollars because, those mineral resources are not being extracted according to mineral standards accepted internationally.
The Measures
Minister Murray disclosed that as part of efforts to curb economic losses as a result of illicit mining activities, and the smuggling of resources, government, through the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, has commenced a rigorous exercise aimed at “fixing and formalizing the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sub-sector of Liberia.
According to him, a roadmap has been developed which will require the collective efforts of the local government, law enforcement authorities and private citizens.
“With immediate effect, the use of dredges on all water bodies within our borders for the mining of gold and diamond is hereby banned,” he stated.
He added that a moratorium will be placed on the issuance of new Class ‘C’ mining licenses.
Minister Murray said a training program for mining agents and mineral inspectors has been approved and is now being rolled out.
He furthered that a ban on the use of mercury to recover gold will be robustly reinforced and violators will be severely prosecuted in keeping with the laws.
“The institution of training in smart mining techniques for local miners has commenced around the national parks and protected areas. This will be replicated across Liberia for the purpose of land reclamation. The Ministry in collaboration with the National Identification Registry (NIR), has begun issuing biometric ASM ID cards to all mining actors,” he averred.
Minister Murray urged legitimate miners and citizens of areas where these activities are prevalent to report any case of violation for possible prosecution under the Liberian laws.
“This is a measure that we hope will mitigate or perhaps completely kill this wave of illicit mining activities across the country,” he noted.
“We don’t know what threat of hidden agenda some of these mining dissidents come into the country. We understand that in the area of terroristic attack that is being experienced in neighboring Mali. That is the reason why we collaborated with the NIR to identify all miners,” he emphasized.
Agreement with revision of MDAs
The living conditions of citizens in and around concession areas in Liberia remain appalling.
Despite the extraction of millions of dollars worth of natural resources including gold, diamond and timber in various parts of Liberia by foreign investors, access to basic social necessities remain either impossible or scarce.
Bulk of these citizens lack access to safe drinking water, better healthcare and school facilities, among others.
Minister Murray supported calls for the re-visitation of Mineral Development Agreements (MDAs) and other legal frameworks signed between the government and concessionaires.
“I am in total agreement with the revision of any policy or law regulations.
“Just a while ago, we received communication on Arcelor Mittal asking for the visitation of the County and Social Development Fund. The community residents are appealing that at least 20% of the CSDF be allocated directly to them so that they can have some improvements in the social development plans. This, we fully support,” he disclosed.
“You can’t have a flourishing mining company and you got a situation of abject poverty. That will ultimately invite public outcry. We encouraged mining companies to pay as much attention as possible to the sustainability of the local miners and even those that fall in their operational sites,” he maintained.