Liberia secured $16.7 million from the African Development Bank to strengthen mining governance. What reforms are currently underway?

The AfDB support comes at a pivotal time as Liberia strengthens transparency, accountability and efficiency across the mining sector by modernizing licensing procedures, improving institutional capacity and enhancing revenue administration.

The Liberia Chamber of Mines supports reforms to modernize the Minerals and Mining Law, improve the mining cadastre, streamline permitting and strengthen environmental and social governance standards. Greater transparency and predictability will boost investor confidence.

Further reforms are still needed. Investors seek regulatory certainty, stable fiscal regimes, efficient land access, timely approvals by the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee and Investment Commissions, stronger geological data, improved infrastructure, digitized regulatory systems, effective dispute resolution and greater community participation. With continued policy consistency, Liberia can become one of Africa's leading destinations for responsible mining investment.

How has Liberia’s mining sector performed in 2026 compared with national growth ambitions?

Mining remains one of Liberia's most important economic sectors, contributing significantly to exports, employment, foreign exchange earnings and government revenue. Iron ore continues to drive the industry, while gold exploration remains active and interest in critical minerals has grown alongside global energy transition demand.

Although progress has been encouraging, the sector has yet to reach its full potential due to commodity price volatility, infrastructure gaps, financing constraints and lengthy project development timelines. lengthy permitting processes, land access challenges, financing constraints, illegal mining and shortages of skilled personnel remain some of the key industry barriers.

Liberia is prioritizing geological mapping to unlock new mineral resources. What progress has been made?

The Ministry of Mines and Energy is working with partners including the African Development Bank, the World Bank and regional geological organizations to modernize geological information and exploration databases. The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and the World Bank have also agreed to support nationwide airborne geophysical, geochemical and geophysical surveys.

Expanding geological mapping, digital databases and publicly accessible exploration data will reduce exploration risk and improve investment decisions.

Liberia aims to generate more than $3 billion annually from mining and energy by 2029. Which projects and opportunities will drive this target?

Achieving this goal will require expanding existing mines, developing new projects, investing in infrastructure and attracting greater exploration capital. Growth is expected to come from major iron ore investments, expanding gold production and increased exploration for critical minerals including lithium, graphite, manganese, nickel, rare earth elements and other strategic minerals.

Investment in rail, ports and power infrastructure will improve competitiveness, while downstream mineral processing and value addition can create jobs, strengthen local industries and maximize economic benefits.

What is the current state of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Liberia?

ASM supports thousands of livelihoods but remains largely informal, limiting productivity, environmental performance, access to finance and government revenue. The Liberia Chamber of Mines supports initiatives to simplify licensing, strengthen miners' cooperatives, improve technical training, expand access to finance and modern equipment, and promote responsible environmental management. Formalization should remain both an economic and social development priority.

What message will the Liberia Chamber of Mines bring to African Mining Week 2026?

Liberia is open for responsible mining investment. Liberia offers opportunities across iron ore, gold, critical minerals, mining infrastructure, logistics, renewable energy and downstream mineral processing.

The Chamber will use the event to strengthen dialogue between government, investors, mining companies and development partners while promoting responsible environmental stewardship, community development and transparent governance.

Our objective is not simply to attract investment, but to build long-term partnerships that create jobs, transfer technology, develop local businesses, increase government revenue and contribute to Liberia's long-term economic development.