S Leone bans exports of mineral samples

FREETOWN – Sierra Leone has banned exports of mineral samples in a bid to stop valuable diamonds, gold and other commodities being illegally shipped out of the country.

President Ernest Bai Koroma, who won elections in the West African nation in September with pledges to stamp out corruption, wrote to the Ministry of Mineral Resources saying samples were being exported with insufficient controls. “It is reported that there appears to be little or no supervision or regulation of this activity by government,” said the letter from Koroma’s office, seen by Reuters yesterday.Many mining companies operating in Sierra Leone export samples of earth and rock for analysis abroad in order to determine their mineral content.The ban on such exports, which will affect all companies with mining licences, came into effect on Tuesday.”We support this ban because we want Sierra Leone to give an example,” said Bob Lloyd, general manager of Sierra Rutile Ltd., the country’s largest foreign director investor which will this year export 100 000 tonnes of rutile, used to make titanium ore.But he said his company, which is obliged to verify the content of its exports for customers who are locked in to buying the mineral-rich earth in regular monthly shippings, was in talks with government to determine how long the ban would last.”It does have an impact on things here and if it continues it will have a major affect on us.Our customers would be understanding at first and then after a month or so they would get a bit impatient,” he said.Despite its huge mineral wealth, including diamonds, gold, rutile and bauxite, more than 70 per cent of Sierra Leoneans live below the poverty line.The fight for control of its diamond fields fuelled a 1991-2002 civil war, one of the most brutal in modern African history.Mismanagement and corruption have since prevented ordinary Sierra Leoneans from seeing the benefit of the riches under their soil.But some in the industry warned the mineral export ban could have a heavy negative impact on the mining sector.”We have no facilities here so all the samples have to be exported for analysis,” said Mohamed Mansaray, director of the Geological Survey Division at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, the body which oversees the export of samples.Nampa-Reuters”It is reported that there appears to be little or no supervision or regulation of this activity by government,” said the letter from Koroma’s office, seen by Reuters yesterday.Many mining companies operating in Sierra Leone export samples of earth and rock for analysis abroad in order to determine their mineral content.The ban on such exports, which will affect all companies with mining licences, came into effect on Tuesday.”We support this ban because we want Sierra Leone to give an example,” said Bob Lloyd, general manager of Sierra Rutile Ltd., the country’s largest foreign director investor which will this year export 100 000 tonnes of rutile, used to make titanium ore.But he said his company, which is obliged to verify the content of its exports for customers who are locked in to buying the mineral-rich earth in regular monthly shippings, was in talks with government to determine how long the ban would last.”It does have an impact on things here and if it continues it will have a major affect on us.Our customers would be understanding at first and then after a month or so they would get a bit impatient,” he said.Despite its huge mineral wealth, including diamonds, gold, rutile and bauxite, more than 70 per cent of Sierra Leoneans live below the poverty line.The fight for control of its diamond fields fuelled a 1991-2002 civil war, one of the most brutal in modern African history.Mismanagement and corruption have since prevented ordinary Sierra Leoneans from seeing the benefit of the riches under their soil.But some in the industry warned the mineral export ban could have a heavy negative impact on the mining sector.”We have no facilities here so all the samples have to be exported for analysis,” said Mohamed Mansaray, director of the Geological Survey Division at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, the body which oversees the export of samples.Nampa-Reuters