A Rapid Assessment of Liberia’s Mining Sector, with a Focus on the Local Impacts on Forests and People
By Forest Trends View PublicationThe mining sector has long driven Liberia’s economy. But while the economy has grown, Liberia has not developed at the same rate. This assessment examines the sector to assess whether industrial and artisanal mining are generating equitable and sustainable benefits for the country and its citizens.
Drawing on a legal review, analyses of trade data, field research, and geospatial analysis, the assessment reveals a need for further reform: the sector suffers from significant fiscal losses, widespread underreporting, and weak enforcement. Community benefits are not flowing as legally required, and gold producers contribute far less than iron ore companies—raising serious equity concerns. Meanwhile, mining continues to degrade ecosystems, threaten human and environmental health, encroach on protected forests, and trigger land-use conflicts due to overlapping legal authorities.
The paper offers reforms to strengthen transparency, restore public trust, and ensure that mining serves as a genuine engine of national development. It argues that only through meaningful community participation, rigorous environmental oversight, and strong fiscal governance can Liberia transform its resource wealth into lasting progress.
It concludes that Liberia must take immediate steps to stem financial losses, compel compliance, improve planning to foster sustainable development, ensure accountability of compensation and other benefits sharing with local communities, and create a national land use plan that protects local customary rights and includes a comprehensive network of protected areas that will protect Liberia’s biodiversity and attract climate finance.