Liberian coalition calls for freeze on new mining contracts

A coalition of Liberian civil society organisations is calling on the government to suspend the signing and ratification of new long-term mining contracts until the 2000 mining law is replaced. The Consortium of Civil Society Organisations on Minerals, Mining and Inclusive Sustainable Development made the call on Monday 26 October at a press conference in Monrovia, according to FrontPage Africa.

Mining development agreements generally set the terms for the operations of major companies for at least 25 years and acquire the force of law after ratification by Parliament. The coalition believes that signing them under the current framework risks prolonging weak governance, revenue losses and environmental damage. It called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and lawmakers to impose a moratorium.

Mines account for about a fifth of Liberia’s gross domestic product and dominate its exports, according to an assessment published in March 2026 by Forest Trends, a Washington-based research organisation. Iron ore and gold are the main products. The coalition says the benefits in terms of jobs, public services and development remain insufficient for communities near mining sites.

The Forest Trends report estimates that the state could lose millions of dollars a year in uncollected mining revenue. Between 2007 and 2023, companies paid the state just over $844 million, according to the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Mining permits also cover more than two million hectares of forest in a country that is home to about half of the Upper Guinea biodiversity hotspot’s tropical rainforest.