Capitol Hill — The Liberian Senate is seeking information from the Ministry of Mines and Energy regarding the operation of the small to medium-scale mining sub-sector.
This is intended to facilitate the discharge of the oversight responsibility of the Senate over the sub-sector which according to the recent statement of the President Pro-Tempore, has the potential to be a significant revenue earner for the 2023 National Budget and thereafter.
In a communication addressed to the Minister of Mines & Energy, Gesler E. Murray, under the signature of Senator Simeon Taylor, Chair of the Senate Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, the Senate expressed several concerns about the operation of the small to medium scale mining sub-sector: Class C, Mining Cooperatives and Class B Mining Licenses, including use of dredges on waterways.
In the letter, the Senate also noted that the country's mineral resources are not being adequately protected; that there is widespread illicit mining beyond control; that the small to medium-scale mining sub-sector is characterized by the smuggling of minerals; and that the sub-sector is also characterized by environmental management issues such as destruction of ecosystems, pollution of water bodies and land degradation.
The Senate is also seeking information from the Mines and Energy Ministry on the current structure of the Department of Mines and the Inspectorate, including names, qualifications and experience of the departmental and sectional heads and their assistants; names of Class B License holders and owners; names of mining cooperatives, owners and financial supporters/operators; statistics of quarterly production of each Class B Licensee and mining cooperative; sale records of Class B Licensees and mining cooperatives since the grant of licenses.
The Senate is also demanding the names of licenses for heavy mineral beach sand deposits; names of licenses for Columbite-Tantalite (COLTAN); production and sales records for heavy mineral beach sand deposits and production and sales records for COLTAN.
The provision of the information, the Senate noted, will help its oversight work to ensure there is productivity, accountability and transparency in the small to medium-scale mining sub-sector which has the potential to earn revenue for public spending and help lift the rural communities out of poverty.
The move is the latest taken by the Upper Chamber of the Legislature to exert its oversight responsibility to address the menace in the sector.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
It comes as the Ministry of Mines and Energy acknowledges the increasing wave of illicit mining activities across the country.
Addressing a forum in February this year, Minister Murray said the increase in illicit mining activities across the country was denying the Government of Liberia (GOL) from generating millions of dollars in revenue collection.
Minister Murray blamed the situation on the abuse of mining license exclusively set aside for Liberians and the signing of Memorandum of Understandings between the locals and owners of companies without the involvement of the Ministry.
He pointed out that the formalization of ASM in Liberia has been giving "sleepless nights" to authorities at the ministry, noting that the sector has not been formalized in Liberia for a prolong period of time.
However, he noted that the best way to address the menace is to revise the "age-old mining law of 2000.
"We are resolved to solve ASM problems and we want to admonish all stakeholders to look at what the mining law says," the Minister said back in February at the forum organized by the University of Paris, International Growth Center (IGC) and the Institute for Quality Research and Development (IQRD).
"To me, it is not late to formalize the ASM sector even though we grant licenses. Class 'C' license is restricted to only Liberians, but nowadays you have foreign partners being invited to operate mining plants using heavy duty equipment. We will look into this very seriously," he added.
