… As Minister Tingban Assures Robust Stance On Compliance

MONROVIA – MAY 12, 2026: The Minister of Mines, R. Matenokay Tingban, has sounded a strong warning to those bent on bypassing legal means of acquiring Mineral Rights to carry out mining operations in Liberia that the Government has put in place robust measures to track down all violators and make sure penalties prescribed by the laws of the Country are applied to them.

Addressing a Press Conference at the Ministry Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Monrovia, Minister Tingban provided updates on intensified ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining activities across the country. The Minister divulged to Journalists that after a series of enforcement operations, several individuals and companies have been arrested, and equipment seized, for engaging in illicit mining practices.

Minister Tingban told the May 12, 2026 Press conference that the Ministry has taken remains firm in the leading the national fight against illegal mining, which he noted, threatens the environment, undermines lawful investment, and deprives the government and people of Liberia of legitimate benefits.

The Mines and Energy Minister then reported on recent mineral sector governance compliance enforcement actions taken, with the latest being the arrest of one Liberian and two Indian nationals in Skinner Village, Grand Cape Mount County, for illicit mining activities. Aside from the arrest, the Ministry confiscated three excavators used in their illegal operation.

In the Southeastern region of Liberia, Minister Tingban announced the shutting down of JinXin Mining Company in Rivercess County for operating without a valid mining license, and in Grand Gedeh, specifically in the CVI area, the Mines and Energy issued a Closure Order to the Alex Gee Group of Companies for failing to renew its mining license. The Ministry has also dismantled an illegal mining site in Gbayea Town, Tchien District, Grand Gedeh County, operated by some Chinese nationals
- The compliance enforcement operations, carried out by a joint team from the Bureau of Mines, and the Inspectorate Division recently, also succeeded in destroying dredges used for illicit gold mining on the Cavalla River in Grand Gedeh County.

While these robust compliance efforts are significant to mineral sector governance and protecting the environment and promoting revenue generation, the Ministry of Mines and Energy also provides awareness and sensitization to residents of artisanal and small-scale mining communities. This aspect of the Ministry’s deliverables was exercised in the mining town of Pennokan in Grand Gedeh where it was observed that local miners needed to conform their mining practices in accordance with the Mining Regulations.

"We will not tolerate violations of the Minerals and Mining Law," Minister Tingban warned. "Those involved in illicit mining operations will be arrested, prosecuted, and made to face the full penalties of the law irrespective of their nationalities"

Concluding the Press Conference, Minister Tingban called on citizens and stakeholders to support efforts to identify and report illicit mining activities, ensuring that Liberia's natural resources are protected and managed responsibly for the benefit of present and future generations.
Journalists providing coverage of the Press Conference saw firsthand, the three confiscated contraband excavators the arrested Liberian, and two Indians were using for their illegal mining operation in Skinner Village, Grand Cape Mount County. They were led by Minister Tingban on the tour of the confiscated excavators in the Ministry’s central office compound on Capitol Hill, Monrovia.

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