Liberia Joins planetGOLD With $7.67M GEF Project to Cut Mercury in Gold Mining

This collaborative model strengthens Liberia’s capacity to scale reforms, sustain results, and contribute meaningfully to global efforts to eliminate mercury from gold mining.

Liberia has taken a historic step toward transforming its artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector with the approval of a $7.67 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) project, supported by an additional $24.57 million in indicative co-financing from the African Development Bank Group. Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, the initiative aims to dramatically reduce mercury pollution, strengthen environmental protection, and create safer and more sustainable livelihoods for thousands of Liberian miners.

The project marks Liberia’s official entry into the planetGOLD programme—a global platform helping over 20 countries eliminate mercury from gold supply chains while boosting economic resilience and environmental health.

A Major Turning Point for Liberia’s Mining Sector

The initiative builds on earlier governance reforms supported by the Bank Group through its Institutional Support for Enhanced Domestic Revenue Mobilization and Reform Implementation Project, which is helping Liberia improve mining sector transparency and regulatory capacity.

Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, emphasized the transformational nature of the initiative:

“The foundations established through the Bank’s institutional support are now being expanded into a full-scale environmental and socio-economic transformation. This proves development and environmental protection can go hand-in-hand.”

A Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Mercury Use

Mercury contamination poses severe risks to human health, waterways, soils, and ecosystems in Liberia. Used widely in informal gold mining, mercury contributes to:

• Neurological and developmental disorders

• Water pollution and fish contamination

• Soil toxicity

• Deforestation and biodiversity loss

• Limited access to formal markets for miners

The planetGOLD Liberia project tackles these challenges through three pillars:

1. Strengthening Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

• Support for enforcement of mercury-free mining laws

• Improved governance and oversight across the mining value chain

• Formalization of artisanal mining cooperatives

2. Enabling Access to Finance and Clean Technologies

• Mercury-free processing equipment

• Training on safer, more efficient mining methods

• Financial inclusion tools for micro-entrepreneurs and women miners

3. Community Engagement and Partnerships

• Awareness campaigns on the health risks of mercury

• Collaboration with traditional leaders and mining communities

• Public–private partnerships to support responsible gold supply chains

High-Impact Environmental and Social Benefits

Over the next five years, the project is expected to deliver major national and global benefits:

• 50 metric tons of mercury eliminated

• 10,000 hectares of degraded land restored

• 148,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions avoided

• 20,000 people—including 12,000 women—with safer working conditions and improved livelihoods

These outcomes support Liberia’s NDC 3.0 commitments, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, climate, biodiversity, decent work, and responsible production.

A Strong Vote of Confidence in Liberia’s Leadership

GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodríguez called the approval a milestone for global mercury reduction:

“By supporting a comprehensive approach that combines policy reform, technology, and community engagement, we are helping Liberia lead the way toward a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable gold mining sector.”

EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo highlighted the importance for communities and ecosystems:

“By tackling mercury pollution at its source, we are protecting miners, safeguarding rivers and forests, and building a cleaner and more prosperous sector.”

A Catalyst for Regional and Global Collaboration

As part of the new planetGOLD+ initiative, Liberia will benefit from:

• Regional peer learning

• Partnerships with African, Latin American, Asian, and Pacific mining programs

• Access to global expertise and innovative mercury-free technologies

This collaborative model strengthens Liberia’s capacity to scale reforms, sustain results, and contribute meaningfully to global efforts to eliminate mercury from gold mining.

---

By aligning environmental stewardship with socio-economic development, the GEF–AfDB–Liberia partnership marks a pivotal shift toward a mercury-free, climate-smart, and inclusive gold mining sector—one that protects people, restores nature, and strengthens rural prosperity for generations to come.