On June 26, 2026, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai signed Executive Order No. 167, creating the Protect Our Resources Taskforce (PORT) a multi-agency body with an unambiguous mandate: to immediately put an end to all illegal mining activities across Liberian territory. Five days later, on July 1, 2026, the Taskforce held its first technical meeting at the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Monrovia, marking the operational launch of this far-reaching presidential initiative.
This mechanism responds to an emergency documented by the Environmental Protection Agency, whose compliance exercise conducted on May 18, 2026, revealed the scale of damage caused by illicit mining: diversion of watercourses, dredging of waterways, deforestation, destruction of wetlands and farmlands, contamination of freshwater sources, and the use of highly toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide.
Beyond the environmental toll, these illegal practices result in significant losses of public revenue, fuel smuggling, and undermine the rule of law.
Endowed with extensive powers—including the investigation of illegal operations, seizure of equipment, and the arrest and prosecution of offenders PORT brings together, around the Ministry of Mines and Energy, several key institutions: the Ministries of Finance and Justice, the Armed Forces of Liberia, the Revenue Authority, the Immigration Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
This interinstitutional coordination reflects President Boakai’s determination not to leave natural resource governance to a single agency, but to build a structured and sustainable response.
The Chamber of Mines of Liberia has welcomed the initiative as “a timely and significant step toward restoring order, accountability, and responsible governance” in the mining sector. This support comes at a crucial moment, as the country anticipates a genuine mining boom in 2026, driven by iron ore, gold, and rare earths.
For Joseph Boakai, this crackdown on illicit exploitation illustrates a core conviction of his governance: Liberia’s natural resources are a national heritage that must be managed responsibly, for the benefit of present and future generations and not surrendered to operators willing to sacrifice the environment and state revenues for immediate profit.
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