Liberia has secured approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for a transformative project designed to drastically reduce mercury pollution in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Developed by Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and supported by the African Development Bank Group, the initiative combines $7.67 million in GEF financing with $24.57 million in indicative co-financing from the Bank Group. The project aims to create a safer, cleaner, and more sustainable gold mining sector across the country.
The project marks Liberia’s entry into the planetGOLD programme, a global initiative that has already assisted more than 20 countries in reducing mercury use while improving environmental health and livelihoods. It aligns with planetGOLD’s strategy of strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks, expanding financial inclusion, promoting mercury-free technologies, and fostering partnerships across government, communities, and the private sector.
The initiative builds on the African Development Bank’s ongoing support for enhanced domestic revenue mobilization and governance reforms in Liberia’s mining sector. According to Anthony Nyong, Bank Group Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, the project demonstrates how institutional foundations can be expanded into a full-scale environmental and socio-economic transformation, showing that development and environmental protection can advance together.
Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, highlighted the project as a major milestone in global efforts to reduce mercury pollution. By combining policy reform, technology adoption, and community engagement, Liberia is positioned to lead the transition toward a cleaner and safer gold mining sector. Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of Liberia’s EPA, emphasized that the project will protect miners, safeguard rivers and forests, and foster a prosperous gold sector that balances economic growth with environmental protection.
Mercury contamination from gold mining poses significant risks to human health, water sources, soil, and ecosystems in Liberia. The largely informal nature of artisanal mining has contributed to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and economic instability, limiting miners’ access to formal markets and sustainable practices.
The project aims to reduce 50 metric tons of mercury over five years, restore 10,000 hectares of degraded land, avoid 148,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, and improve working conditions and livelihoods for 20,000 people, including 12,000 women. By formalizing mining activities, providing access to finance and clean technologies, and engaging communities, Liberia can meet its commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury and advance Sustainable Development Goals related to climate, health, biodiversity, and decent work.
As part of the planetGOLD+ initiative, Liberia will benefit from regional and global collaboration, peer learning, and access to proven innovative practices from other GEF-supported countries. This approach strengthens the scalability and sustainability of national efforts while accelerating global progress toward mercury-free gold supply chains. Fully aligned with Liberia’s commitments under the Minamata Convention, the project represents a critical step toward an environmentally responsible and economically inclusive gold mining sector.
