Liberia: Chinese smuggling black sand?

The Chinese mining and exportation of black sand here have raised public concern, but the Government of Liberia has been reluctant to speak on the matter.

By Lincoln G. Peters  

Montserrado, Liberia, April 5, 2024—The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Mines and Energy, seems tight-lipped about a Chinese sand mining company’s mining and exportation of black sand from Liberia, Waterside community, Virginia township, Electoral District#17, Montserrado County.

Video footage obtained by NEW DAWN’s investigative team reveals hundreds of bags of black sand compiled by Chinese miners from Virginia, ready for exportation. According to a source, one ton of black sand on the global market is estimated at US$12000.

In the video, a Waterside community, Virginia resident alarms that tons of black sandbags are exported from Liberia monthly by Chinese miners. The Chinese are also engaged in beach and river sand mining here for sale to people and institutions involved in construction, a practice that is completely against the Liberianization law.

Meanwhile, the mining of black sand for export is raising questions in the public about whether authorities at the Ministry of Mines and Energy are aware and have approved such exportation.

Since the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, sand mining, which should be reserved exclusively for Liberian-owned businesses under the Liberianization Policy, has been abused and taken over by foreign-owned firms, especially Chinese-owned mining companies across the country.

The situation has led pundits to question the effectiveness and implementation of the Liberianization Policy, with policymakers (Lawmakers) and the Executive being accused of taking bribes to favor Chinese companies in the sector.

The involvement of the Chinese in the Liberian sand mining industry has raised the price of a 10-tyer truck from US$75 during the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Administration to US$350 per truckload, thereby increasing the cost of construction in one of the world’s poorest countries to significantly costly.

The New Dawn made several efforts throughout the week to speak to officials at the Ministry of Mines and Energy but to no avail. On Thursday, April 4, 2024, the paper visited the Ministry of Mines and Energy to speak with the Press and Public Affairs section. Still, a receptionist told it that the Officer-In-Charge of Public Affairs had not reported for work for some time.

However, when his contact number was requested, this paper was directed to the Human Resource Office. Still, the office personnel said he couldn’t speak on the matter and provided the contact information and name of the PR Officer, which was written on a sheet of paper.

Mr. Richard Munuba, whose phone was off for a lengthy period, later switched on his mobile after several text messages regarding the matter were sent to his number.

After a while, this paper dialed his number via Orange Liberia, and he responded, but he immediately said that he couldn’t speak to the matter directly because the new Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye, had dispatched a team to investigate the situation.

“I will advise you to come to the Ministry of Mines and Energy tomorrow (April 5, 2024) to go to the Department of Mines and ask for Assistant Minister Edison Tangbe. The Ministry is very technical; everything is scientific, so there needs to be an investigation before coming to the public”, Mr. Munuba added.

He argued that something can’t just happen without them investigating to speak on it.

That notwithstanding, the NEW DAWN later called Assistant Minister for Mines Carlos Tingban Edison, a former student leader of the Student Unification Party of the University of Liberia. After being briefed on the subject, Edison promised to call back to provide an insightful and comprehensive background on the matter.

Disappointingly, however, after several calls and text messages as a reminder, the Assistant Minister’s only response was, “I will call you back so we can talk about this. Good. Just wait; I will call you back.” But he never did up to press time last night.

Black sand, or magnetite sand or iron ore sand, is a heavy mineral commonly found in coastal areas. Black sand is too much. Though it may seem trivial at first glance, it has many important applications in many industries.

Experts highlight the importance of black sand in the construction industry. Due to its high iron content, it is used as an additive in concrete and asphalt production. Adding black sand improves the strength and durability of these materials, making them more wear-resistant. Additionally, its magnetic properties make it useful in making magnets used in construction projects.

Black sand is also important in steel production because it contains significant iron oxide. Iron ore extracted from black sand is an essential raw material for steelmaking. Through smelting and refining techniques, iron ore is converted into steel, widely used in infrastructure development, automobile manufacturing, and many other industries. The unique properties of black sand make it an excellent medium for water filtration systems.

Its high density allows it to effectively remove impurities such as heavy metals and organic matter from water sources. Black sand filters are commonly used in swimming pools, fish tanks, wastewater treatment plants, and home water filtration systems.

Coastal erosion is a major concern in many parts of the world, and black sand can be used for beach nourishment projects to prevent erosion by replenishing lost sediment along the shoreline. Its dark color helps absorb heat from the sun, contributing to the warming process that promotes plant growth on beaches.

One of the other important uses of black sand is it has shown potential for use in renewable energy production systems such as wave energy converters (WEC). WEC harnesses the power of ocean waves to generate electricity using submerged structures that move with the movement of the waves. Black sand’s weight and magnetic properties make it the ideal material to anchor these structures while improving their efficiency. Editing by Jonathan Browne