Liberia Launches Port Taskforce to Crack Down On Illegal Mining
MONROVIA, July 3, 2026 — The Government of Liberia has launched a coordinated national campaign to combat illegal mining and strengthen oversight of the country’s mineral resources with the operationalization of the Protect Our Resources Taskforce (PORT).
The multi-agency taskforce held its first technical meeting on July 1 at the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Monrovia, officially commencing operations under Executive Order No. 167 issued by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. on June 26.
PORT was established to strengthen inspections, improve regulatory compliance, and enhance governance across Liberia’s mining sector amid growing concerns over illegal mining, mineral smuggling, environmental degradation, revenue losses, and the unlawful occupation of mining concessions.
Chairing the inaugural meeting, Minister of Mines and Energy R. Matenokay Tingban presented the Taskforce’s Technical Administrative Framework and described the initiative as “a strategic shift toward intelligence-led enforcement, stronger institutional coordination, and responsible mineral resource management.”
Tingban, who introduced Security Expert Abraham Kromah as chairman of the Taskforce, said Liberia’s mineral resources are sovereign national assets that must contribute to economic transformation, fiscal stability, environmental sustainability, and national prosperity.
He said illegal mining should no longer be regarded merely as a licensing violation but as “economic sabotage, environmental misconduct, revenue theft, and an organized threat to state authority and lawful investment.”
Under its operational framework, PORT will conduct routine and risk-based inspections, gather intelligence, identify illegal mining hotspots, coordinate enforcement operations, seize equipment used in unlawful mining activities, refer economic crimes for prosecution, promote public awareness, and monitor compliance throughout the mining sector.
The Taskforce will oversee industrial, commercial, and artisanal mining operations to ensure compliance with licensing requirements, royalty payments, environmental standards, occupational safety regulations, and other legal obligations.
According to the Ministry, PORT also aims to increase government revenue, strengthen interagency collaboration, combat mineral smuggling, disrupt illegal mining networks, protect the environment, and improve investor confidence in Liberia’s mining industry.
Taskforce Chairman Abraham Kromah urged participating institutions to work together to achieve the initiative’s objectives.
“The success of this Taskforce will depend not on the efforts of one institution, but on our collective commitment to protect Liberia’s natural resources,” Kromah said.
“We must work as one coordinated team–sharing intelligence, enforcing the law fairly, engaging our communities, and ensuring that those who exploit our mineral wealth illegally are held accountable.”
He pledged that the Taskforce would operate professionally, transparently, and within the rule of law while strengthening collaboration among all participating agencies.
The inaugural meeting brought together representatives of the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning and Justice, the Armed Forces of Liberia, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the Liberia Immigration Service, and senior officials of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, including Assistant Minister for Mineral Exploration and Environmental Research Sam Summerville, Inspector-General for Mines Agatius Coker, and Deputy Inspector-General for Mines Adolphus Gleekia.
With PORT now operational, the government says it is entering a new phase of intelligence-driven enforcement aimed at curbing illegal mining, protecting the environment, increasing public revenue, and ensuring Liberia’s mineral resources contribute to national development.
By New Dawn.
