The Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak and the Mineral Sectors 

of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone

On March 23, 2014, the World 

Health Organization (WHO) made 

the first announcement of what would 

become the largest Ebola virus disease 

(EVD) outbreak since the discovery of 

the disease in West Africa in 1976. At 

the forefront of world news regarding 

the deadly virus were Guinea, Liberia, 

and Sierra Leone, the three countries 

most affected by the EVD outbreak 

(World Health Organization, 2014). 

Projected economic growth for these 

three countries in 2014 and 2015 had 

hinged on the expected development 

of their respective mineral sectors, 

which play a significant role in the 

economy of all three countries in terms 

of the contribution to the gross domestic 

product (GDP) and to export revenues. 

The mineral sector, in particular the iron 

ore industry, has played a significant 

role in the economic growth experienced 

by Liberia and Sierra Leone in recent 

years. Uncertainty regarding the status 

of mining and mineral exploration 

operations in the three countries 

following the onset of the EVD 

outbreak and changes in mineral market 

conditions raised questions regarding 

the prospects for such growth and future 

foreign direct investment in the region 

(World Bank Group, 2014). Figure 1 

shows the total number of reported 

EVD cases as of yearend 2014, and the 

geographic location of active mining 

operations and mineral facilities in 

Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

This fact sheet provides data and 

information about (1) the mineral sectors of 

Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and the 

importance of the sector to the economy 

of each country; (2) the distribution of 

mines and mineral facilities, projects in 

development, and reported EVD cases; 

and (3) potential risks of the outbreak to 

investment in and development of new 

mines, processing facilities, and related 

mineral industry infrastructure.

11

7

3

6

8

16

4

15

13 18

1,2

12

5

10

14

17

9

Koundara Mali Koubia

Siguiri

Mandiana

Kankan

Kérouané

Macenta

Faranah

Kouroussa Fria

Mamou

Boké

Gaoual Lélouma

Télimélé Pita Dalaba

Labé Dinguiraye Tougué

Dabola

Koinadugu

Kono

Guéckédou

Kailahun

Forécariah Kambia

Port

Loko

Western

Tonkolili

Moyamba

Bonthe Pujehun

Montserrado

Bomi

Margibi

Gbarpolu

Bong Nimba

Grand

Bassa River

Cess

Grand

 Gedeh

Sinoe River

Gee

Grand

 Kru

Maryland

Yomou

Lola Lofa Nzérékoré

Bombali

Beyla

Kissidougou

Kenema

Grand Cape Mount

Coyah

Kindia

Boffa

Bo

Dubréka

Bissau

Bamako

Monrovia

Conakry

Freetown

20°W 18°W 16°W 14°W 12°W 10°W 8°W 6°W

12°N

10°N

8°N

6°N

MALI

GUINEABISSAU

SENEGAL

GUINEA

LIBERIA

SIERRA

LEONE

ATLANTIC OCEAN

CÔTE

D'IVOIRE

Political boundaries and names are not necessarily authoritative and

are derived from Esri and open-source shapefiles. Mercator projection

Datum is World Geodetic System of 1984

Mine and mineral processing facility

Artisanal or small-scale mining area

Facility and label—See table 2 

 for more information

EXPLANATION

Cumulative number of Ebola cases

0

1 to 5

6 to 20

21 to 100

101 to 500

501 to 4,000

N

Map

area A F R I C A

Figure 1. Active mining operations and mineral processing facilities in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and reported cases of 

Ebola as of yearend 2014. Numbered facility labels correspond to entries in table 2. District-level Ebola virus disease data derived 

from World Health Organization (2014, 2015) data as of December 2014. 

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2015–3033

April 2015
Table 1. Mineral production and mineral sector contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.

[Mineral production reported in thousands of metric tons unless otherwise specified. Abbreviations used: kg, kilogram; t, metric ton; NA, not applicable]

Location Alumina Bauxite Cement Diamond

(carats)

Gold

(kg)

Iron ore

(metal

content)

Mineral sands

(ilmenite

and rutile)

(t)

Percentage

mineral sector

contribution

to GDP

Percentage

of export 

earnings

World 1

97,000 1259,000 23,830,000 3128,000,000 42,710,000 51,390,000 68,610,000 NA NA

Guinea7 150 16,041 317 3

266,800 14,790 Not disclosed NA 8,914 8,9 90

Liberia10 NA NA 122 3

41,985 641 1,980 NA 11 8 1135

Sierra Leone12 NA 776 335 3

541,166 13145 3,600 117,083 1412 14 70

1

E. Lee Bray, U.S. Geological Survey, 

unpub. data.

2

 van Oss, 2015.

3

 Kimberley Process Rough Diamond 

Statistics, 2013.

4

 Micheal W. George, U.S. Geological 

Survey, unpub. data. 

5

Tuck, 2014.

6

 Bedinger, 2014.

7

 Bermúdez-Lugo, 2014a.

8

 Guinea Institut National 

de la Statistique, 2014.

9

 International Monetary 

Fund, 2014.

10Bermúdez-Lugo, 2014b.

11Central Bank of Liberia.

12Bermúdez-Lugo, 2014c.

13Omayra Bermúdez-Lugo, U.S. 

Geological Survey, unpub. data.

14Bank of Sierra Leone, 2014.

Background

Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone’s 

shared histories of civil unrest and related 

economic disruptions have served as 

deterrents to the development of the 

mineral sector in each of these countries. 

Coups d’état and prolonged periods of 

civil war heavily damaged infrastructure 

including government buildings, roads, 

bridges, ports, and railways, which 

are central to the development of the 

mineral sector. Since 2011, progress 

has been made in the rehabilitation of 

infrastructure in all three countries; 

however, much of it is still in need of 

repair. Poor infrastructure and inadequate 

electric power continue to be a major 

deterrent to foreign direct investment in 

mining (Pushak and Foster, 2011, p. 1–10; 

World Bank, 2013, p. 1–5; 2014).

Table 1 shows Guinea’s, Liberia’s, 

and Sierra Leone’s mineral production by 

commodity and each country’s mineral 

sector contribution to GDP and export 

earnings in 2012. Guinea was among the 

world’s leading producers of bauxite in 

2012, accounting for about 6 percent of 

world bauxite output. The country was 

also a significant world producer of rough 

diamond. Production of bauxite was from 

the Friguia, Debele, and Sangaredi Mines 

(table 2, nos. 2–4).

Liberia produces cement, rough 

diamond, small amounts of gold, and iron 

ore. For many years, Liberia’s economy 

had relied heavily on production and 

exports of iron ore, which came to a halt 

in 1990 following the onset of civil war 

in Liberia. Diamond proceeds were used 

to a large extent to finance the civil war, 

which resulted in the United Nations 

Security Council imposing roughdiamond export sanctions on Liberia in 

2001. Diamond sanctions were eventually 

lifted in April 2007 and production of 

iron ore resumed in 2011 (United Nations 

Security Council, 2007, p. 3, 7– 8). 

Sierra Leone produces cement, rough 

diamond, small amounts of gold, iron ore, 

and mineral sands (ilmenite and rutile). 

Bauxite and mineral sands production 

came to a standstill in 1994 owing to civil 

war in Sierra Leone. Because diamonds 

were also used to finance the civil war, 

diamond export sanctions were also 

imposed on the country. The civil war 

ended in 2002 and diamond sanctions 

were lifted in 2003. Production of bauxite 

from the Sierra Minerals Mine (table 2, 

no. 13) and mineral sands from the Sierra 

Rutile Mine (table 2, no. 18) resumed in 

2006. Sierra Leone began producing iron 

ore again in 2011 with the reopening of 

the Marampa Mine (table 2, no. 16) and 

the opening of the Tonkolili Mine (table 2,

no. 17). Sierra Leone’s production of 

rutile (94,493 metric tons [t]) accounted 

for more than 11 percent of world rutile 

output in 2012.

Figure 2 shows the mineral sector 

share of GDP for Guinea, Liberia, 

and Sierra Leone. Guinea’s mineral 

sector share of GDP fluctuated between 

14 and 15 percent from 2004 to 2011 

(fig. 2). The sector accounted for about 

14 percent of the country’s GDP in 

2012 and for about 90 percent of export 

earnings. Guinea’s sector share of GDP 

was estimated to have decreased to 

12.5 percent in 2013 owing partly to a 

decrease in the production of alumina 

caused by the temporary closure of the 

country’s alumina plant as a result of a 

trade union strike. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013e 

Percent share of GDP 

Year 

Guinea 

EXPLANATION

Liberia Sierra Leone 

Figure 2. Mineral sector share of gross domestic product (GDP). Sources of data include 

the Central Bank of Liberia (2015), Bank of Sierra Leone (2015), Guinea Institut National de la 

Statistique (2014), and International Monetary Fund (2014). e, estimated.

2
In Liberia, prior to 1990, the 

contribution of the mineral sector to GDP 

stood at an average of about 25 percent, 

mostly driven by diamond and iron ore 

production. The contribution of Liberia’s 

mineral sector to GDP began to increase 

in 2007 as the embargo on diamond 

exports was lifted. Figure 2 shows the 

increase in the share of GDP accounted 

for by minerals, which was about 

8 percent in 2012. 

Sierra Leone’s mineral sector 

accounted for about 12 percent of GDP 

in 2012 and for about 70 percent of 

export earnings. Prior to the civil war, 

the sector’s share of GDP averaged 

about 15 percent, mostly driven by 

the production of bauxite, cement, 

diamond, and mineral sands. For 2013, 

the estimated contribution of the mineral 

sector to GDP in Guinea, Liberia, and 

Sierra Leone was about 13, 11, and 

23 percent, respectively. 

The Ebola Virus Disease 

Outbreak Crisis

The first laboratory-confirmed case 

of the EVD was reported by the Ministry 

of Health in Guinea on March 21, 2014. 

By early June, wide transmission of the 

EVD was confirmed in Liberia and Sierra 

Leone. The number of EVD cases peaked 

in late October and early November 

and by yearend had affected more than 

20,000 people. As of January 18, 2015, 

the rate of infection had decreased significantly; however, transmission of the EVD 

continued in all three countries, with the 

total number of cumulative cases reported 

to be 21,797 (fig. 3) (Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, 2015a,b).

Changing Mineral Market 

Conditions in 2014

Coincidentally, the emergence of the 

EVD crisis was accompanied by changes 

in market conditions, which were likely 

to affect Government revenues from the 

mineral sector, as iron ore was expected 

to become an increasingly significant 

source of future export earnings for all 

three countries and bauxite accounts for 

the majority of Guinea’s export earnings. 

These changes in market conditions 

included (1) a decrease in aluminum and 

bauxite prices following the recession of 

2009, which affected world consumption 

of bauxite; combined with (2) a ban 

imposed by Indonesia—one of the 

leading sources of global exports of 

bauxite—on the export of unprocessed 

minerals including bauxite; and (3) a 

decrease in the global price of iron ore from 

$130 per metric ton in early 2014 to $68 

per metric ton at yearend (Gleeson, 2014). 

Operating Status of Mines 

and Mineral Facilities

The names and locations of existing 

mining operations in Guinea, Liberia, 

and Sierra Leone and the names of major 

equity owners are listed in table 2. Most 

of the mining companies operating in 

these three countries reported that mining 

had continued mostly uninterrupted in 

2014. Several mines were placed on 

care-and-maintenance status for reasons 

other than the EVD outbreak.

In Guinea, mining operations 

that continued mostly uninterrupted 

during 2014 included that of the 

Debele and Sangaredi bauxite mines 

(table 2, nos. 3, and 4); the Kiniero, 

Lefa, and Siguiri gold mines (table 2, 

nos. 6, 7, and 8); and the Ciments de 

Guinée cement plant (table 2, no. 5). In 

Liberia, mining operations continued at 

the Bong and Western Range Project iron 

ore mines (table 2, nos. 11 and 12) and the 

Cemenco cement plant (table 2, no. 10). 

In Sierra Leone, the Sierra Minerals 

bauxite mine (table 2, no. 13) was 

active as of June 30. Mining companies 

reported anticipating a reduction in 

bauxite production owing to operational 

issues resulting not only from the EVD 

outbreak, but also from adverse weather 

conditions and social tensions in the 

country. The Sierra Rutile mineral sands 

mine (table 2, no. 18) continued to operate 

throughout the year although annual 

production was lower than expected, 

largely owing to challenges presented 

by the EVD outbreak (Sierra Rutile Ltd., 

2015). Two workers from the Koidu 

Kimberlite Mine (table 2, no. 15), in the 

Kono District, contracted the EVD in 

early December. Two significant mine 

closures in Sierra Leone occurred during 

the year: that of the Marampa iron ore 

mine (table 2, no. 16) and the Tonkolili 

Mine (table 2, no. 17). The closure of 

these mines was related to the decrease 

in global iron ore prices and to issues 

related with offtake agreements and 

company debt (Armitage, 2014; Greve, 

2015; Riseborough, 2014).

Status of Mineral Development 

Projects

Mineral development projects were 

the underpinnings for the World Bank’s 

forecasts of GDP increases in Guinea, 

Liberia, and Sierra Leone through 2017. 

In 2012, it was estimated that for Guinea 

the development of these projects had 

the potential to double the country’s real 

GDP by 2015 and to greatly enhance the 

prospects for future GDP growth through 

2017 (World Bank, 2012, p. 2–3).

0 

2,000 

4,000 

6,000 

8,000 

10,000 

12,000 

3/23/14 4/12/14 

5/2/14 

5/22/14 

6/11/14 

7/1/14 

7/21/14 8/10/14 8/30/14 9/19/14 10/9/14 

10/29/14 11/18/14 

12/8/14 

12/28/14 

1/17/15 

Reported cases 

Date of World Health Organization situation report 

Guinea

Liberia

Sierra Leone 

EXPLANATION

Figure 3. Cumulative reported cases of the Ebola virus disease as of January 18, 2015 

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015b). Data reported by the Centers for 

Disease Control are based on World Health Organization (WHO) situation reports and 

correspond to the total number of reported suspected, probable, and confirmed cases 

of the Ebola virus disease for the period of March 23, 2014, to January 18, 2015. 

3
Table 2. Mining operations in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and their reported operating status in 2014.

[Location and distance information is based on publicly available information and may be approximate for some sites. Abbreviation used: km, kilometer]

Label in 

figure 1 Country Mineral commodity Mine or mineral facility Location Major operating companies and major equity owners Operating status in 2014

1 Guinea Alumina Friguia alumina refinery Fria Alumina Company of Guinea (United 

Company RUSAL plc, 100%)

Shut down in April 2012.

Remained closed in 2014.1

2 Guinea Bauxite Friguia bauxite mine Fria Alumina Company of Guinea (United 

Company RUSAL plc, 100%)

Shut down in April 2012.

Remained closed in 2014.1

3 Guinea Bauxite Debele (Kindia) Mine Kamsar Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (United 

Company RUSAL plc, 100%)

Active as of 

December 31, 2014.1

4 Guinea Bauxite Sangaredi Mine 175 km north

of Conakry

Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée

[Halco Mining Inc. (Alcoa Inc., 45%; 

Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., 45%; Dadco 

Group, 10%), 51%; Government of 

Guinea, 49%]

Active as of 

November 28, 2014.2

5 Guinea Cement Grinding plant 35 km from

Conakry

Ciments de Guinée, S.A. (Holcim Ltd., 

60%; Government of Guinea, 40%)

Active as of October 9, 2014.3

6 Guinea Gold Kiniero Mine 650 km east of 

Conakry

New Dawn Mining Corp., 85%

(Formerly owned by SEMAFO Inc.; 

Kiniero Mine was sold to New Dawn

on May 28, 2014)

Active as of 

September 30, 2014.4, 5

Status unknown as 

of yearend 2014.

7 Guinea Gold Lefa Mine 700 km northeast

 of Conakry

Nord Gold N.V. Active as of 

November 20, 2014.6

8 Guinea Gold Siguiri Mine 850 km northeast

of Conakry

AngloGold Ashanti Limited Active as of 

September 30, 2014.7

9 Guinea Iron ore Forécariah Mine 100 km east of 

Conakry

Forécariah Guinea Mining S.A. (Bellzone 

Mining plc, 50%; China International 

Fund Ltd., 50%)

Active as of June 2014. 

Status unknown as of 

yearend 2014.8, 9

10 Liberia Cement Cemenco cement plant Monrovia Liberia Cement Corp. Ltd. (Heidelberg

Cement AG)

Active as of 

November 6, 2014.10

11 Liberia Iron ore Bong Mine Bong County,

western Liberia

China Union Investment Co. [Wuhan Iron 

and Steel (Group) Corporation]

Active as of 

October 29, 2014.11

12 Liberia Iron ore Western Range Project 300 km northeast

of Monrovia

ArcelorMittal Active as of yearend 

2014.12, 13, 14, 15

13 Sierra 

Leone

Bauxite Sierra Minerals Mine 150 km southeast 

of Freetown

Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Ltd.

(Vimetco N.V., 100%)

Active as of June 30, 2014.16

14 Sierra 

Leone

Cement Leocem cement plant Freetown Sierra Leone Cement Corp. Ltd.

(HeidelbergCement AG)

Active as of 

November 6, 2014.10

15 Sierra 

Leone

Diamond Koidu Kimberlite Mine 360 km east of 

Freetown

Octéa Diamond Group (BSG Resources 

Ltd., 100%)

Active as of 

December 12, 2014.17, 18

16 Sierra 

Leone

Iron ore Marampa Mine 150 km northeast 

of Freetown

Timis Corporation Ltd. (Marampa Mine 

was formerly owned by London Mining 

plc and was acquired by Timis Corp. in 

October 2014)

Temporary shutdown (placed 

on care-and-maintenance 

status).19, 20, 21

17 Sierra 

Leone

Iron ore Tonkolili Mine 190 km northeast 

of Freetown

Tonkolili Iron Ore (Sierra Leone) Ltd.

(African Minerals Ltd., 75%; Shandong 

Iron and Steel Group Co. Ltd., 25%)

Temporary shutdown

(placed on care-andmaintenance status as of 

December 1, 2014).22

18 Sierra 

Leone

Mineral 

sands 

(ilmenite, 

rutile, 

zircon)

Sierra Rutile Mine 130 km southeast 

of Freetown

Sierra Rutile Ltd. Active as of yearend.23

1

United Company RUSAL plc, 2015a.

2

Rio Tinto plc, 2014a.

3

de Beaupuy, 2014.

4

New Dawn Mining Corp., 2014. No 

reports on the status of the Kiniero Mine 

were publicly available as of yearend 2014.

5

SEMAFO Inc., 2014.

6

Nord Gold N.V., 2014.

7

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., 2014.

8

Bellzone Mining plc, 2014a.

9

Bellzone Mining plc, 2014b.

10HeidelbergCement AG, 2014a.

11Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) 

Corp., 2014.

12ArcelorMittal, 2014b.

13ArcelorMittal, 2014a.

14ArcelorMittal, 2014d.

15ArcelorMittal, 2014c.

16Vimetco N.V., 2014.

17Green, 2014.

18Biesheuvel, 2014.

19Riseborough, 2014.

20Wilson, 2014.

21Armitage, 2014.

22African Minerals Ltd., 2014.

23Sierra Rutile Ltd., 2015.

4
Figure 4 shows the total number 

of EVD cases as of yearend 2014 and 

the geographic location of mineral 

development and exploration projects.

Liberia and Sierra Leone began 

to show significant signs of economic 

recovery in the mineral sector with the 

ramping up of existing mining operations 

and the resumption of iron ore mining 

in Liberia in 2010 and in Sierra Leone 

in 2011. The large number of companies 

prospecting and exploring for minerals, 

together with the increasing number of 

bauxite, diamond, gold, and, in particular, 

iron ore projects at an advanced stage 

of development, signaled prospects for 

continued growth. Many of those mineral 

projects had significant capital investments 

committed; total capital investments 

committed for the development of 

bauxite and alumina projects in Guinea 

alone were estimated to be in excess 

of $17 billion (Bates, 2012; Guinea 

Alumina Corp., 2014; Helmer, 2011; 

Lyall, 2015; Minesite, 2014; Torchia, 

2014). Investments in associated 

infrastructure projects represented a 

significant portion of the cost. 

Capital expenditures committed for 

the development of iron ore resources 

in Guinea were estimated to be in 

excess of $10 billion (Bellzone Mining 

plc, 2013; BSG Resources Ltd., 2014; 

Rio Tinto SIMFER S.A., 2014; Sable 

Mining Africa, Ltd., 2015), a significant 

amount for a country whose GDP based 

on purchasing power parity (PPP) was 

estimated to be about $14 billion in 

2012. In Liberia, the Putu Range iron 

ore project alone had committed capital 

expenditures of $3 to $4 billion (PAO 

Severstal, 2012). Liberia’s GDP based 

on PPP in 2012 was estimated to be 

about $3 billion. Committed capital 

expenditures in advanced development 

projects in Sierra Leone were about $200 

million; the country’s GDP based on PPP 

was estimated to be about $10 billion in 

2012 (Amara Mining plc, 2013; Stellar 

Diamonds plc, 2010, 2014).

Conclusions

Mineral production at the 

industrial scale was to a large extent 

maintained during 2014 (exceptions 

are noted in table 2). The activities of 

mining companies with projects under 

development or at an early exploration 

stage, with several exceptions, also 

continued mostly uninterrupted 

throughout the year. Quick, coordinated 

actions on the part of mining companies 

operating in all three countries helped 

surrounding communities and national 

health organizations in their effort to 

contain the virus. These efforts included 

(1) securing the perimeter of mining 

operations, (2) providing training to staff 

to ensure safety in and around mining 

facilities and adjacent communities, 

and (3) establishing health screening 

and preventative operating protocols to 

avoid the spread of the EVD. A group of 

mining companies created an advocacy 

group to coordinate efforts to address 

the EVD outbreak and, encouraged by 

the United Nations, pledged to continue 

to operate their businesses, to honor 

financial commitments, and to pay and 

train staff (ArcelorMittal, 2014b,c; 

United Nations Global Compact, 2015). 

Many mining companies also donated 

funds and medical equipment and 

Bissau

Bamako

Monrovia

Conakry

Freetown

A18

A15

A19

E6

A13

A8

E21 E18 E2

E4

E5

E3

A16

E8

A20

E7

E13 E14

A14

A12

A10,A11

A17

E1

E19

E9

E15

E11

E10

E17

E16

E22

E24

E23

E20

A1

A2

A3

A6

A5

A9

A7

E12

A4

20°W 18°W 16°W 14°W 12°W 10°W 8°W 6°W

12°N

10°N

8°N

6°N

MALI

GUINEABISSAU

SENEGAL

GUINEA

LIBERIA

SIERRA

LEONE

ATLANTIC OCEAN

CÔTE

D'IVOIRE

Political boundaries and names are not necessarily authoritative and

are derived from Esri and open-source shapefiles. Mercator projection

Datum is World Geodetic System of 1984

EXPLANATION

Cumulative number of Ebola cases

0

1 to 5

6 to 20

21 to 100

101 to 500

501 to 4,000

N

Mineral project in advanced 

 development (feasibility,

 preproduction, or

 significant construction)

Mineral exploration project

A1

E3

Map

area A F R I C A

Figure 4. Mineral development and exploration projects in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone as of yearend 2014. Mineral project 

locations from Omayra Bermúdez-Lugo (U.S. Geological Survey, unpub. data).

5
supplies, among other essential items, to local governments 

and international organizations (United Company RUSAL plc, 

2015b). The transportation of mineral goods to export points also 

functioned to a significant extent, although the outbreak caused 

delays in sea freight deliveries at some ports (Sierra Rutile Ltd., 

2015). Some commercial flights to and from Guinea, Liberia, 

and Sierra Leone were cancelled and the limited availability 

of flights affected business travel for mining companies 

(Air France, 2014; British Airways, 2014; Emirates, 2014; 

International Civil Aviation Organization, 2014). 

Uncertainty remains as to when, if at all, the Marampa and 

Tonkolili Mines will resume operation and whether individual 

iron ore development projects will proceed to production. The 

prospects for economic growth in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra 

Leone hinge on the short-term development of these and other 

projects. The cancellation or significant delay of these projects 

would be a major setback for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 

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The USGS National Minerals Information Center 

(NMIC) collects, analyzes, and disseminates information 

on the international supply of and demand for minerals 

and mineral materials essential to the U.S. and world 

economies for more than 170 mineral producing countries 

around the world. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are 

among the countries for which these types of data are 

collected and analyzed.

By Omayra Bermúdez-Lugo and W. David Menzie

ISSN 2327-6916 (print) ISSN 2327-6932 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20153033

For more information, contact:

Director, National Minerals Information Center 

U.S. Geological Survey

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

988 National Center

Reston, VA 20192

Email: nmicrecordsmgt@usgs.gov

Or visit the USGS Minerals Information Web site at 

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/

8