The governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are to secure environmentally responsible mining rules and techniques, coupled with long-term economic viability, to control exploration and mining by private enterprise. Minerals of interest include, but are not limited to all active, surveyed, determined. Prospective and reserve deposits of diamond, gold, silver, platinum, petroleum, timber, clay, silica, barite, kyanite, iron ore, bauxite, and other natural resources. With the increasing world demand for iron ore that has been driven by the rapid growth of the Chinese steel industry, the mining industry was actively seeking new sources of iron ore supply. Many of these potential new sources, such as in Liberia and Guinea, have been known for a long time, but have been either unavailable or marginally economic owing to their low grade or high infrastructure development costs. A 1988 United Nations University study estimated Liberia’s iron ore resources to be between 2 billion and 5 billion metric tons (Yachir, 1988). In January 2005, the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy announced that four multinational companies had submitted bids to reopen the iron ore mines in the Nimba Mountains. The four companies were BHP Billiton plc, Global Infrastructure Holdings (the holding company for two Indian steel companies, Ispat and Essar), Mittal Steel, and Rio Tinto plc. Iron ore has been mined in Liberia since the early 1950s. The iron ore deposits of Liberia are Archaean age iron formations of itabirite type and are associated with metavolcano-sedimentary formations overlying and tightly infolded into the predominantly gneissic basement complex. After the opening of the Buchanan Port in 1963, iron ore production and exports ranged between 12 Mt/yr and 24 Mt/yr during the period 1964 to 1989, which was the last year of any significant production; the iron ore mine at Nimba finally closed in 1991. By the time of closure, most of the high grade (greater than 60% iron content) iron ore at the Nimba Mine, which was operated by American and Swedish interests, had been mined out. There are, however, extensive known resources of lower grade iron ore in northern Liberia, including the deeper ores at Nimba and the nearby Mount Todeh deposit, at Mt. Kitoma, at Wologisi, and in the Putu Mountains. The Nimba-Buchanan railway was built to export the Nimba iron ore and, in addition to iron ore handling facilities at Buchanan, there was a 10-Mt/yr washing plant and a 2-Mt/yr pelletizing plant. In addition to Nimba, iron ore was mined at the National Iron Ore Company Mine near Mano River by the Liberia Mining Company of the United States in the Bomi Hills and by German and Italian steel interests in the Bong Range. The Liberian Government held minority equity interest in both the Bong and the Nimba Mines. Around 1980, a pelletizing plant was added to the Bong operation to upgrade lower grade ores for export. All these iron ore handling and treatment facilities have been destroyed and would need to be rebuilt to support any future iron ore mining.

IRON ORE LIBERIA: MPI (MRCB) made an inventory of iron ore opportunities in Liberia. Soon the government will publish 2 tenders. For both tenders we are in a position to develop/produce a PROPOSAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPOSITS IRON ORE IN LIBERIA. We have access to all relevant details/information to generate a best possible proposal.

1st Tender includes 3 field

1.a The recovery of the LMC Bomi mine at Tubmansburg
1.b The BEA Mountain deposit (a virgin deposit)
1.c The recovery NIOC mine in Cape Mount

The 2nd Tender is the recovery of the BONG mine near Kakata.

IRON ORE GUINEA The iron ore reserves of Guinea in the Mount Nimba region is in excess of 6 billion metric ton high grade iron ore 65 – 68% Fe203. This source is ready for exploitation and requires the construction of a railroad track between Nzérékoré and Conakry, a distance of 1,250 km. The World Bank already approved the project. The distance from to Buchanon port in Liberia would only be 300 km. Therefore President MRBC has been asked to study the feasibillity of transportation to and shipping from Buchanon at a Guinea operated Freeport in Liberia. The Presidency of Guinea has contacted MRBC with the request to attract investors to explore and develop the Mount Nimba iron ore deposit. Presently the presidency is preparing a document with all ins and outs to present to interested parties.