The Sierra Leonean government will proceed with the upcoming review of its mining code adopted in 2009, as well as a review of all contracts signed with companies present in the country, according to official sources.
“We need to review the conditions under which these licenses were granted,” Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, the presidential media secretary, told Reuters.
Among the leading mining companies in Sierra Leone, Shandong Iron and Steel (China), owner of the Tonkolili iron ore project, or Koidu Holdings Ltd, a diamond producer controlled by BSG Resources,
Sierra Minerals, owned by the Dutch industrial group Vimetco NV, which operates the only bauxite mine in the country. The Australian company Iluka Resources extracts mineral sands via a subsidiary.
Elected head of the country a month ago, Julius Maada Bio, recently criticized parliamentarians for the “total lack of transparency” that characterizes the mining sector. About 80 percent of Sierra Leone’s exports are mining products, which account for just 15 percent of the country’s revenue.
