Sierra Leone: Govt says new mining law will boost economy and protect the environment
"New mining law to boost Sierra Leone economy" 10 August 2022
...Sierra Leone has enacted into law the Mines and Mineral Development Act of 2022 that seeks to improve provisions for the socio- economic benefit of the country. The new law is also geared towards the facilitation of transparent and accountable management of the mineral sector in accordance with international best practice.
After the approval of the new law, the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Musa Timothy Kabba described it as a historic day for the mining sector because it is a guiding document that regulates activities of investment in the sector, protects the environment and help promote the interest of the people in the country...
Commenting on the difference it will create, he said 13 years down the line since enactment of the old law in 2009, lots has changed in the mining sector, mentioning changes in the energy landscape, disruption by COVID-19, logistics and supply chain, and the emerging of new minerals.
He said it also addresses the new phenomenon in the governance system which he described as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), that tries to promote women issues, increase revenue and give more resources to the people that are directly affected by mining activities as well as protecting the environment.
According to him, it also geared towards increasing citizen’s participation in the mining sector as well as making mining central to the development of the country...
The Chairman of Mines and Mineral Resources Committee in Parliament, Emerson Saa Lamina, representing constituency 030, Kono district, described the new law as the most progressive since the beginning of mining in the country in 1930...