Investment Opportunities
Besides the production of iron ore, gold, and diamond; Liberia remains largely unexplored and has shown other minerals such as beryl, tin, columbite-tantalite, phosphates, zinc, copper, lead, rare earth minerals, nickel, molybdenum, beach sand (zircon, rutile, ilmenite, and monazite), bauxite, kyanite, chromite, uranium, and silica sands.
All are characteristically associated with Precambrian/Proterozoic rocks which underlie most of the country.
Investment Opportunities in Minerals
Iron Ore
Liberia’s mineral industry is dominated by iron ore mining.
Revenues from iron ore accounted for nearly half of the country’s earnings prior to 1990.
There are still vast stretches of unexplored and unexploited areas in iron ore, including the Wologizi Mountain.
Gold and Diamonds
Opportunities also exist in gold and diamond mining.
Gold and diamond deposits are primarily exploited via alluvial and artisanal mining and is widespread in most parts of the country.
Following the lifting of the UN ban, Liberian diamonds are now accepted in international markets.
Other Minerals
Untapped investment potential in platinum, uranium and niobium and base metals such as nickel, cobalt, tin, lead, and manganese.
Rocks and minerals such as sulfur, phosphates, clays (kyanite), granite, silica sand, heavy mineral sands (rutile and ilmenite), and diabase/dolerite are known to exist in both small and large quantities.
Processing
Minerals are primarily exported in raw or semi-finished forms and account for nearly one-fifth of the total export earnings of the country.
opportunities exist for partnerships in mineral processing but also in streamlining of mining processes and integration of digital technologies within the industry.
Source: Wavteq based on National Investment Commission