Miners Identification Project Undertaken in Collaboration with the National Identification Registry (NIR)

 Ministry of Mines and Energy

Miners Identification Project

Undertaken in Collaboration with the National Identification Registry (NIR)

Minister of the Ministry of Mines & Energy (MME) Press Statement on the Announcement of the Project

Delivered at a Press Conference held on July 23, 2019 at MME Headquarters

Ladies and gentlemen of the Press:

I am delighted to welcome you to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) for this important press conference held during this historic week marking the 172nd Independence Day anniversary of our beloved Country, Liberia. I have here with me the Executive Director of the National Identification Registry (NIR), Hon. J. Tiah Nagbe, who will jointly host this press engagement with me.

We have invited you here to inform you and, through you, our people across the Country that the Ministry of Mines and Energy will be working in partnership with the National Identification Registry to issue Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Identification Cards (ASMID) to all miners and  other actors involved in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining(ASM) activities across the Country so as to establish a comprehensive database of all actors in the sector beginning Monday, July 29, 2019. We expect to complete this project by the end of October this year. Under this arrangement, we are requesting all miners and anyone who operates within our designated mining areas to make sure he/she is registered with the National Identification Registry and has obtained an ASMID card.

The NIR will issue to each miner a national identification card and a special ID card for miners, which we call the ASM ID card. ASM represents Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners. The NIR will also collect additional information on behalf of the MME to support our work in regulating and fixing the messy ASM sector in Liberia.

We want all miners and people who conduct business in our designated mining areas to know that the ASM ID card will serve as the permit or authorization to enter the mining areas. This means that anyone who does not carry the ASM ID card will NOT be allowed to work in these mining areas. Among those who should carry the ASM ID card are mining claim holders, diggers, divers, brokers, dealers, equipment operators, equipment owners/leasers/managers, and people who conduct business within mining sites.

This identification project will bring many benefits to all who are involved with this industry, from the Government to the workers. For us at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, this will allow us to operate a database of mining actors, which will help us regulate the ASM sector. We need to know who works in the sector, what type of work the person is doing, where is the individual working, etc. National security institutions also need information on the mining actors to be able to protect workers and also make sure that mining activities do not pose security risks to the larger society. There are also policies and programs that the Ministry needs to consider for the safety, health and future financial well-being of miners. To put these programs into place, we must have information on those that work in this sector.

It is for these reasons and many more that we are undertaking this project. Therefore, we count on the cooperation of all those involved.

 

Thank you.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONOF INTEREST (REOI) RFP NO. MME/IDV/QCBS /REOI/001/19/20

Independent Diamond Training and Valuation Services

 

Introduction

The Government of Liberia (GOL) through the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) intends to apply part of its budgetary allocation for Fiscal Year 2019/2020 for the Selection of Consultant Services – Independent Diamond Training and Valuation Services.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy was established by an Act of the Legislature and charged with the mandate to administer the Mineral and Energy sectors relative to all mineral, water and energy resources exploration, coordination and development in the Republic of Liberia. The Government Diamond Office (GDO) is established at the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Background

Diamonds have been a major export commodity and one of the sources of revenue for Liberia since the start of diamond mining in the 1930s. In 2004, the Government of Liberia imposed a moratorium on diamond mining in support of the UN sanctions on the exportation of rough diamond from Liberia. Subsequently in 2007, sanctions on the exportation of Liberia’s rough diamonds were lifted followed by the subsequent admittance of Liberia into the Kimberley Process Certificate scheme.

Diamond exports from Liberia need to be valued accurately to ensure that the Government receives the appropriate revenue in the form of export duties, royalties and other taxes. The diamond export procedures are also expected to comply with those recommended by the Kimberley Process.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy now invites qualified consultant firms to indicate their interest in providing the services of an Independent Diamond Training and Valuation. Interested consultant firms must provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services as it relates to description & references of similar services, experience in similar conditions, methodology, availability of appropriate skills among staff, pictorial brochures, etc.).

A consultant firm will be selected in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission Act (PPCA) of the Republic of Liberia as amended and restated in 2010.

Qualification Requirements

  1. The consultant firm must have carried out at least 3 diamond training and valuation services.
  2. The consultant firm must demonstrate that at least two of the staff allocated to work as diamond valuators in Liberia each have a minimum of ten years rough diamond valuing experience.
  3. The consultant firm must produce a letter signed by each staff member allocated to work in Liberia that they are prepared to travel and work in Liberia.
  4. The consultant firm must obtain business visa and/or work and resident permits for all staff working on the contract according to the duration of their residency in Liberia.
  5. The consultant firm will provide all equipment necessary to carry out its rough diamond valuation.
  6. The Consultant firm must be duly registered and tax compliance
  7. Authorized certification or license in diamond valuation
  8. Company’s profile
  9. List of Key professional staff
  10. Financial Statement / Balance Sheet for the year ended December 2018

Submission and Deadline

Sealed Expression of Interest (EOI) must be delivered in hard copy to the Procurement Unit not later than 6 August 2019 at ­­­­­3:00 Post Meridian (Liberia Time), Monday to Friday. Late EOI will be rejected and returned to consultant firm(s) unopened. All EOIs must be delivered to the below address and marked “Expression of Interest for IDTV”.

Interested consultant firms may obtain information at the address below during office hours between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Liberia time) Monday – Friday.

The referred address is:

Procurement Unit

Ground Floor, Room #10

Ministry of Mines and Energy

United Nations Drive, Capitol Hill

Monrovia, Liberia.

Email Address: jamsnowea@yahoo.com

Tel. Number: (+231) 777 299 651 / (+231) 888 832 299

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONOF INTEREST (REOI) RFP NO.MME/IDV/QCBS /REOI/001/19/20-Download

 

Request for Letter of Intent

The Ministry of Mines and Energy is pleased to inform all Mining Agents, Regional Coordinators, and Mineral Inspectors about an upcoming vetting and capacity building effort that is geared towards strengthening the Inspectorate Division of the Ministry. In view of this effort, we are requesting all interested individuals to reapply for the aforementioned positions.
All interested candidates are encouraged to submit the following:

• A cover letter stating your current position and area of assignment(Handwritten);
• A professional resume highlighting your educational background, experiences, and other relevant information (Handwritten);
• Hard copy of your academic credentials; and
• A passport size photo with white background.

Note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. All applications must be submitted to the office of the Deputy Minister for Operations at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Deadline for submission is July 5, 2019 at 4:30PM.

Copy of the official letter from the office of the minister can be downloaded here: Inspectorate Announcement MME

Gov’t Lifts Moratorium on Alluvial Mining in Nimba

“The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has lifted a moratorium on all alluvial mining activities involving gold and diamond in Nimba County.

“According to a press release read at the inauguration ceremony of a water treatment plant in Sanniquellie on Wednesday, November 28, the government, through the MME, decided to lift the moratorium after noticing that the circumstances in which the moratorium was placed no longer existed.”

“Upon the pronouncement of the lifting of the moratorium, there was jubilation across mining zones in Nimba, especially Sanniquellie and Bahn, and people with shovels loaded on motorbikes could be seen heading into the bushes.

“Since the discovery of diamond in Nimba in the early 50s, many of the citizens have chosen mining as their livelihood.”

Read more on the Liberian Observer website

Lifting of Moratorium on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) in Nimba County

In 2014, the government of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf imposed a moratorium on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Nimba County due a rioting situation which occurred within the Arcelor Mittal Liberia Concession Area by a group of angry residents.

The imposition of said moratorium witnessed a suspension of license issuance for alluvial gold and diamond mining by the Government of Liberia; which subsequently led to the drop in revenue inflow due to illicit mining and illegal trading of minerals within the alluvial mining districts of Nimba.

The current government, through the Ministry of Mines and Energy, has scrupulously investigated and monitored the circumstances that resulted into the imposition of the alluvial mining moratorium through field visits and interviews.

Accordingly, the Government of the Republic of Liberia, through the Ministry of Mines & Energy after having found out that the circumstances that necessitated the imposition of the moratorium no longer exist, is pleased to announce the lifting of said moratorium imposed on the ASM subsector in Nimba County effective today, November 28, 2018.

The Government now strongly advises all former license holders and all those individuals and companies interested in carrying out alluvial mining activities to renew their old licenses and obtain the requisite permits and licenses for mineral mining and trading within Nimba County. Being legally registered and licensed will bring all operators into full compliance with the legal and regulatory framework that governs the mining sector.

The Government also further wishes to strongly emphasize that violators involved in illicit mining and trading of minerals will be severely dealt with in keeping with existing laws.

Signed:

Hon. Gester E. Murray Minister Mines & Energy

Press Release