Overview of the Extractive Industries
Liberia is rich in natural resources, notably iron ore, diamonds, gold, timber and rubber. All of these sectors suffered dramatically during the civil war, which ended in 2003, but the Government is determined to ensure growth through better revenue management - thus their inclusion of forestry under the EITI.
Status of EITI Implementation
The EITI Board designated Liberia as EITI Compliant on14 October 2009. Liberia must be revalidated by 13 October 2014. Stakeholders in the process may request that the EITI Board requires a new Validation at any time within that period if they think the process needs reviewing.
Liberia committed to the EITI in October 2006, and decided to include forestry in its EITI. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formally committing stakeholders to the full implementation of the LEITI, was signed in April 2008. A forestry scooping study to identify and address any and all possible issues that may arise in connection with the inclusion of the forestry sector in the LEITI was produced in June 2008. A LEITI public outreach and general communications strategy has been developed. The President released a Proclamation of the Liberian EITI in September 2008, making the LEITI a significant policy of the government, and obliging all agencies of government and mining, logging and oil companies to comply with all requirements of the LEITI. The first EITI report of Liberia was launched on 9 February 2009 by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. It is the first EITI report to include forestry. On Friday, 10 July 2009, the President signed into law the Act Establishing the Liberia EITI. The LEITI Act is the second dedicated piece of EITI legislation (following the NEITI Act in Nigeria).
A case study of the EITI implementation in Liberia is available.
Governance of EITI Implementation
The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) is led by a governing board called the LEITI multi-stakeholders Steering Group. Membership in the Group includes
- the Government of Liberia, represented by the Ministers of Finance; the Minister of Lands, Mines, and Energy, The Minister of Internal Affairs, and other agencies;
- the Civil Society, represented by the Publish What You Pay, the Liberia National Bar Association, and the National Council of Chiefs and Traditional leaders; and
- the Private Sector, represented by Arcelor Mittal Liberia, Amlib, Liberia Timbers Association, and the Miners and Brokers Association.
The Group is chaired by the Minister of Finance, who is also the LEITI Champion. The Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy is the co-chairperson of the Group.
The LEITI also has a distinct Secretariat that is established, staffed and supported by the Group. The four-person Secretariat is headed by T. Negbalee Warner. The Deputy Head of the Secretariat is Edward R Smith and the Executive Secretary is Hnede Berrian.
LEITI Chairperson
Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan
LEITI Chairperson
Ministry of Finance
Post Box 10-9013
Monrovia, Liberia
Tel: +231 6 656 707
E-Mail: libfinancemin [at] yahoo [dot] com
LEITI Focal Point
T. Negbalee Warner
Head of Secretariat
Post Box 4074
4th Floor, Ministry of Finance Building
Broad Street
1000 Monrovia 10, Liberia
Tel: +231 6 558 991 / +231 77 558 991
E-Mail: headofsecretarait [at] eitiliberia [dot] org or negbalee [at] yahoo [dot] com
Companies operating*
Oil & gas companies: Woodside*, Oranto Petroleum Ltd, NOCAL, Tullow Oil, Anadarko, Repsol*
Mining companies: Arcelor Mittal*, Western Mineral Resources Corporation, Universal Mining, T-Rex Resources Inc, Target Resources Inc, Precious Minerals & Mining CO, Liberty Gold & Diamond Mining Inc, Broadway Consolidated Plc, BHP Billiton World Exploration, BEA Mountain Mining Corporation, Amlib United Minerals, Afro Minerals, African Aura Resources
* EITI Supporting Company
* Note: Company list based on EITI research and is not conclusive
For further information, please contact the Focal Point, or Eddie Rich in the EITI International Secretariat.
