Published: November 12, 2026
MONROVIA – The Liberia Chamber of Mines has backed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s plan for a state-owned National Minerals Company. It has pledged the industry’s expertise to help build a company that can turn Liberia’s mineral wealth into lasting national value.
The chamber welcomed Executive Order No. 171 on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. The order sets up an inter-agency council to develop the legal, institutional and financial framework for the company and to draft a National Minerals Company Act for the Legislature within 12 months.
Chamber President Amara Kamara called the order a significant policy initiative. He said it gives Liberia an opportunity to turn the government’s vision into a structured, transparent and commercially sustainable institution.
Kamara said a well-designed National Minerals Company could give Liberia a stronger platform in the commercial opportunities of the mining industry. He said it could also promote national value creation, mobilize investment and support long-term development of the country’s mineral resources.
The chamber said the order is an important step on a commitment Boakai made at the recently concluded Liberia Mining and Energy Conference, LIMEC 2026: to strengthen Liberia’s participation in mining and capture more of the economic value of its minerals.
The chamber singled out the transition council for praise. The council will prepare the proposed law and design the governance, commercial and financial arrangements needed to run the company.
For the company to succeed, the chamber said, it must rest on sound corporate governance, commercial independence, transparency, accountability and international best practice. It called for a clear distinction between the company’s commercial interests and the regulatory and oversight role of the Ministry of Mines and Energy. It said that separation is essential to a level playing field, to protecting existing investments, to investor confidence and to a predictable, competitive climate for domestic and international mining companies.
The president’s order reflects that principle. According to the Executive Mansion, the Ministry of Mines and Energy keeps all regulatory, policy-making, licensing, inspection and enforcement authority. Any future National Minerals Company will operate strictly as a commercial entity, with no regulatory power over competing private companies.
The order creates the Interim National Minerals Company Development and Transition Mechanism Council under the supervision of the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Its members will be representatives the president designates from the ministries of Mines and Energy, Justice, and Finance and Development Planning, the National Investment Commission, the National Bureau of Concessions and the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The council will review existing mining laws, audit the state’s equity rights and geoscientific assets, model how the company would be capitalized, and draft safeguards on fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, external audits and public transparency.
The council must report to Boakai within 90 days of its members’ appointment. It is funded from the ministry’s existing administrative budget.
The chamber said it stands ready to work with the government, the transition council, the Legislature and other stakeholders. It said it will offer industry perspectives and technical input toward a commercially viable National Minerals Company that benefits the nation.
The chamber said it remains committed to a transparent, competitive and sustainable minerals industry, one that makes the most of Liberia’s natural resources and delivers lasting benefits to the Liberian state and its people.
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