Mining in West Africa

According to Liberia's Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy:       "Due to previous instability, relatively low population density and high forest cover, Liberia remains significantly under-explored when compared to other West African nations. Countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Guinea have witnessed a boom in gold exploration, discovery and production over the past ten years. Now that peace has returned to Liberia and reconstruction is underway with strong international support, there is a major opportunity to apply modern exploration techniques to numerous gold projects previously reported, but neglected for decades."

      "Before 1990, the mineral sector contributed greater than 65 percent of export earnings and approximately 25 percent of GDP. During the civil unrest that ensued, the contribution was reduced to negligible levels for almost 15 years. All major mines were closed leading to job losses, reduced government revenues and foreign exchange earnings. In addition, in the later years, proceeds from small-scale (mainly diamond) miners were used to a large extent to finance the civil strife. Hence, from its past strategic position in the economy, the mineral sector has the potential to jump-start the reconstruction of the country and to underpin sustainable resource- based growth & development."