BOMI COUNTY: Liberia is thought to be deprived of an estimated US$2.7 billion dollar worth of gold and iron ore annually through unreported mineral exports.
A government taskforce warns that weak monitoring, illegal mining and suspected cross-border smuggling are depriving the country of huge revenue from its gold and iron ore wealth.
Col. Abraham Kromah, Chairman of the Protect Our Resources Taskforce, disclosed that an estimated US$2.7 billion worth of gold and iron ore exports allegedly went unreported between 2007 and 2023.
The situation raises serious questions about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight, export verification and revenue collection across Liberia’s mineral sector.
Speaking Friday at the Government of Liberia’s Fourth Town Hall Meeting in Tubmanburg City, Bomi County, Col. Kromah revealed that records reviewed by the taskforce suggest that between 70 and 90 percent of Liberia’s gold production may be leaving the country without proper documentation.
According to him, the alleged leakage could cost the government between US$150 million and US$450 million annually.
If substantiated, the figures would expose a significant vulnerability in the country’s management of natural resources, with potentially far-reaching consequences for public revenue, environmental protection and the government’s ability to finance essential services.
However, the taskforce’s estimates have not been independently verified. Establishing the actual scale of the alleged losses would require a comprehensive reconciliation of mine production, export declarations, customs records, royalty payments, tax assessments and receipts recorded by the relevant government institutions.
The report places renewed inquiry on the institutions responsible for regulating mineral production, issuing and monitoring mining licenses, verifying exports and ensuring that companies meet their statutory obligations.
Questions arise over how such substantial discrepancies could persist for years without being detected or effectively addressed, if the taskforce’s estimates are accurate.
They also raise concerns about whether existing inspection systems, production reporting mechanisms and border controls are adequate to protect the national interest.
The disclosures do not establish that any specific concession company participated in illegal exports or evaded taxes.
Nevertheless, they underscore the need for authorities to examine the compliance records of mining operators, including concession holders, subcontractors, mineral traders and exporters, wherever credible evidence indicates irregularities.
Mining companies operating under government concessions should be subject to transparent and consistent verification of production volumes, mineral shipments, export declarations, royalties and other payments required by law.
Any discrepancies between reported output and actual exports should trigger timely audits and, where warranted, investigations.
The relevant authorities should also explain how they monitor minerals moving from extraction sites to buying centres, processing facilities, warehouses and border crossings.
Without reliable records linking production to final export, the government risks losing revenue while struggling to determine whether operators are complying with their licenses.
Beyond the reported revenue losses, Kromah disclosed that preliminary assessments had identified more than 480 excavators allegedly operating in unauthorized locations across Liberia.
He said, the machinery had reportedly been deployed in areas including sensitive forest landscapes, river basins, reserves and mining zones where operations may violate applicable laws or permit conditions.
Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount counties were identified as major hotspots, alongside parts of southeastern Liberia.
The reported concentration of heavy equipment in these areas, according to the taskforce, points to the scale of the enforcement challenge facing authorities tasked with controlling unauthorized mining.
Kromah said the taskforce was preparing enforcement operations targeting illegal operators and unauthorized machinery, adding that the planned measures include seizing equipment and pursuing arrests where violations are established under the law.
The effectiveness of the proposed crackdown will depend on whether the taskforce can move beyond preliminary assessments to documented enforcement actions, supported by evidence, lawful procedures and coordination with the institutions responsible for mining regulation, environmental protection and criminal prosecution.
Authorities must also establish whether machinery found at a particular site is being operated illegally, whether its owner holds a valid permit, and whether the activity falls outside the boundaries or conditions of an approved mining operation. Such verification, according to critics, is essential to ensure that enforcement is effective, fair and legally defensible.
Kromah also expressed concern over the reported use of mercury and other unauthorized chemicals in mining operations, warning that such practices could threaten waterways, forests, wildlife and communities living near mining sites.
Mercury contamination can pose serious health and environmental risks, particularly where mining waste enters rivers or contaminated materials move through food chains.
The taskforce’s concerns, therefore, warrant attention from environmental regulators and public-health authorities, alongside the institutions responsible for mining enforcement.
He further alleged that illegal miners were transporting Liberian minerals into neighboring Sierra Leone through various border crossing points and also raised concerns about suspected chemical pollution in Sapo National Park, one of Liberia’s most important protected forest areas.
These allegations require independent verification, environmental sampling and, where evidence supports them, a coordinated investigations involving border authorities and neighboring jurisdictions should begin.
Any confirmed contamination in protected areas should prompt immediate measures to identify the source, limit further damage and determine responsibility.
The reported movement of minerals across borders also highlights the need for stronger cooperation among customs officials, security agencies, mining regulators and relevant regional authorities.
Mineral traceability systems, reliable shipment documentation and risk-based border inspections could help distinguish lawful trade from smuggling.
Kromah projected that Liberia’s domestic revenue could rise from approximately US$1 billion to more than US$2 billion if the taskforce succeeds in curbing illegal mining and related revenue leakages.
The projection, signals the potential economic significance of the allegations, but it remains an estimate rather than a guaranteed outcome.
Any increase would depend on the amount of recoverable revenue, the government’s capacity to enforce compliance, the accuracy of production and export records, and the extent to which additional assessments translate into actual collections.
The government should therefore publish measurable benchmarks against which the taskforce’s performance can be assessed.
These could include verified mineral seizures, recovered royalties and taxes, completed compliance audits, successful prosecutions, documented improvements in export reporting and environmental violations addressed.
Transparent reporting would also help distinguish revenue recovered from illegal activity from ordinary increases in mineral production, commodity prices or routine tax collection.
The taskforce’s disclosures now place the burden on the relevant government institutions to establish the facts and demonstrate that Liberia’s mineral wealth is being managed in accordance with the law.
A credible response should include independent reconciliation of mineral production and export figures, targeted audits of concessionaires and exporters where justified, stronger field inspections, and clear accountability for any regulatory failures established through evidence.
Where public officials are found to have neglected their duties, facilitated unlawful operations or improperly benefited from mineral transactions, the law should be applied through the appropriate investigative and judicial processes.
Equally, companies should not be publicly treated as offenders without evidence establishing their involvement in specific violations.
Liberia’s extractive sector cannot deliver its full economic value if production, exports and payments remain difficult to verify. Weak oversight, where it exists, creates opportunities for revenue losses, environmental destruction and the exploitation of regulatory gaps.
The coming enforcement operations will therefore be a test of whether the Protect Our Resources Taskforce and the relevant authorities can convert alarming estimates into verified findings, lawful prosecutions, stronger safeguards and measurable gains for the public treasury.
For a country seeking to expand domestic revenue and improve living conditions, the central question is no longer simply how much gold and iron ore Liberia produces.
It is whether the state can account for what leaves its territory—and ensure that the people receive the lawful benefits of their natural wealth.
Towards Economic Empowerment And Reconciliation
