The Ministry of Mines and Energy has secured US$1.1 million grant from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The money, according to Minister Richard Matenokay Tingban, is to formalize the artisanal, and the small-scale mining sector (ASM).
The Ministry’s plan includes organizing miners into cooperatives, maximizing profits, and providing training to ensure proper regulation and accountability.
Tingban highlighted that data from the ministry indicates approximately US$1.6 billion worth of gold leaves the country annually without a trace.
“We have introduced a traceability form, a verification system, and a chain of custody for gold that tracks the mineral from miners to dealers, brokers, and ultimately to exporters.”
The initiative represents a step to improve the livelihoods of artisanal miners, and ensure their safety and dignity in the mining sector.
In his address during the government 4th Edition of the Town Hall meeting over the weekend in Bomi County, Tingban disclosed how the government has implemented measures to organize, and equip miners who have long worked under challenging and hazardous conditions.
The measures include creating safer pits, and tunnels, eliminating child labor, protecting the environment, rehabilitating land, ensuring fair wages, and respecting the communities that host mining operations.
Tingban Described artisanal sector as fragile, and difficult to regulate, yet full of potential. “We cannot criminalize our people for mining. We must organize them, equip them, and allow them to mine with dignity.”
Tingban noted how the artisanal mining provides employment for Liberians, particularly in Grand Kru, Nimba, Lofa, and other mining communities.
