Publication: Sierra Leone : Tapping the Mineral Wealth for Human Progress, A Break with the Past
Loading...
Date
2005-07
ISSN
Published
2005-07
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Political instability and lack of an enabling and internationally competitive environment conducive to attracting investments particularly affected the mining sector. Excessive government control and attempts to raise higher foreign exchange and fiscal revenues from artisanal diamond activities were detrimental to artisanal mining development. The study provides an assessment and analysis of the economic and social importance of the mining sector in Sierra Leone and its impact on economic outcomes. It makes recommendations and identifies an action plan for mining sector revival and development. The Government presented this report to the stakeholders, including its international development partners, at a workshop in May 2003. The outcome of the discussions and recommendations is reflected in the report. The resulting report was subsequently discussed in a second national workshop during January 2004. Since January 2003, the Ministry of Mineral Resources has focused on a number of fronts including: formation of a core mineral policy; deepening the policy work through a review of the mineral and regulatory framework; efforts to improve the development of basic mapping geo-information; completion of the initial work required for improved administration and management of mineral rights through a cadastre system; improvements in productivity, safety, and environmental conditions of mining activities; increased transparency in mineral sector revenues through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and Kimberley Process; and improved social conditions in the mining areas. These efforts have led to positive results. Among the most notable are the sharp rise in diamond exports, the rehabilitation of a rutile mine initiated in May 2005, the current assessment of the possible reactivation of the existing bauxite mine during 2005; and a significant increase in mineral exploration.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2005. Sierra Leone : Tapping the Mineral Wealth for Human Progress, A Break with the Past. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8688 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Nigeria - An Economic Analysis of Natural Resources Sustainability for the Mining Sector Component(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-05)This report firstly presents an analysis of the Nigerian economy as the environment within which the solid minerals sector is situated. It discusses the economy in terms of its distinguishing characteristics, structure and related issues, such that the place of the sold minerals sector can be appreciated. An examination of policy issues and economic reforms to aid the development process is also presented. This study, carried out between February and April 2007, specifically addresses the prospects of developing an industrial mining sector in Nigeria. The current mining sector is dominated by small-scale operations, working below their full potential and literally scratching the surface. Preliminary investigations indicated a lack of up to date information on deposits and lack of microeconomic information on the feasibility of extraction. The study is considered to be important from two different perspectives. First, solid mineral resources are economically, socially and environmentally crucial for Nigeria. There are key knowledge gaps in the sector. In addition the utilization of solid mineral resources is well aligned with the Bank's country partnership strategy, which is placing a strong focus on nonoil growth sectors of the economy. The other perspective comes from the environmental sector; the Bank has just completed the CEA (Country Environmental Analysis) and the idea is to continue the policy dialogue with the mining sector, and to help strengthen its links to the economic sectors where the environment is important. This study provides a major opportunity to carry this out. The primary objective of the study is to assess the prospects of an industrial mining sector emerging in Nigeria given what is known about the country's geology and mineral endowment as well as economic, institutional and other factors.Publication Sector Licensing Studies(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011)This report is intended to provide guidance on best practices in mining licensing, based on examples from low, middle and high income countries in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. It is not a 'how-to guide' or a licensing implementation toolkit, but rather identifies certain common features of successful mining licensing regimes worldwide that other national or sub-national jurisdictions might usefully incorporate in new mining laws and regulations or revisions or existing ones. The case studies and other examples of good and bad practice are intended to provide a cross-section by geography and by income level, and they demonstrate that the prevalence of good and bad practices is not simply a function of income level. Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world, has in many respects a better licensing regime than either South Africa or the U.S. State of Wisconsin. In considering these complex issues, it has proven difficult to confine the discussion purely to questions of licensing. Discussion of licensing invariably invokes reference to overall policy and investment climate issues, environmental protection, labor law, taxation, national and sub-national jurisdiction, land tenure, and much more. This report makes no attempt to address all of these in detail but refers to them in reference to their interactions with and effect on, licensing itself. Far more detailed research on mineral policy, taxation, investment climate, and other issues has been carried out, some of it referred to in this report and cited in the footnotes and bibliography.Publication Albania : Mining Sector Reform, Restructuring and Future Prospects(World Bank, 2009-06-01)This report provides a concise overview of the current situation of the mining sector in Albania. It evaluates the major events that took place in the last two decades (especially regarding the privatization process), and examines its governance, overarching policies and its legal frameworks that have guided the sector development. Having identified the weaknesses and difficulties that the sector faces, the report then suggests an outline for a comprehensive reform program. The main findings in this regard are related to: improving sector governance; improving regulatory effectiveness; strengthening the technical capacities; addressing environmental and social legacy, and community benefit sharing issues; and sustaining sector growth through sector promotion. The report also summarizes an evaluation of the mineral legal and regulatory environment, in order to inform an overall reform strategy and to identify commodities and/or resource areas of particular interest going forward, 'low hanging fruit' that might offer new growth opportunities. The overall conclusion of the report is that sector reform should emphasize new Greenfield resource potential through generative exploration by smaller and medium-sized international 'junior' mining companies. New resource development will be undertaken within a strengthened governance framework reinforced by a competitive, transparent, stable, non-discretionary regulatory regime. Although now highly fragmented, existing operations will be improved with the introduction of new operations performing to international good practice. Additionally, the private sector should be enabled to consolidate license holdings under improved regulatory enforcement that prevents licenses being held for speculation without intention to undertake meaningful investments that will result in development.Publication Democratic Republic of Congo : Growth with Governance in the Mining Sector(Washington, DC, 2008-05)This study examines the mining sector's potential to contribute to economic growth with governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the past, mining has been the main engine of the Congo economy. But the revenues and other benefit streams generated by the sector over the years have not been used in a wise or sustainable fashion, largely due to key problems with sector governance. During the past ten years of civil war and conflict, flagship industrial mining declined substantially, and informal and artisanal mining expanded significantly. Now that peace has returned to most of the country and a new democratically elected Government is in place, the potential for the mining sector to contribute to economic growth is excellent. However, achieving growth with governance depends on three principal internal and external factors. The first of these, international commodity prices, is largely out of the Government's control. The second factor, political stability, is clearly critical to growth of the sector; however, a detailed discussion of this factor is outside the scope of this study. The third factor, rent-seeking culture, is at the heart of the challenge that the Government must overcome to ensure sustained sector growth with good governance. The probable future decline and fluctuation of commodity prices has several implications for the mining sector in DRC. First, the amount of investment funding available for minerals exploration and investment falls or rises in tandem with the commodity prices. During the first quarter of 2008 there has already been a significant fall-off in the amount of funding for smaller companies in the international exchanges, due in part to the financial turbulence in the markets. This fall-off in investment funding could be exacerbated further by a significant downturn in commodities prices. Second, producing companies will generate lower revenues, and the government will have a consequent decline in fiscal receipts. Third, companies will face pressure to maximize their economies of scale, generally by increasing through-put in order to meet fixed costs. At the same time, because of lower sales revenues, companies will be forced to reduce operating costs, often by cutting staff and social services. Fourth, lower commodity prices will have a direct effect on the artisanal producers of mineral commodities, whose day-to-day dependence on the amounts earned in the mines renders them highly vulnerable to fluctuations.Publication Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin : Mining(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-04)This report aims at providing stakeholders with a good analysis of the potential impacts of mining development on the Congo Basin forests. It is one of a series of outputs prepared during a two-year exercise to analyze and better understand the deforestation dynamics in the Basin. It presents the main findings of an analysis of the mining potential in the Congo Basin as well as the global trends in demand of minerals tries to identify ways to reconcile mining development and preservation of the Congo Basin forests. It is based on an in depth analysis of the sector. The report is structured as follows: first chapter gives an overview of the mineral wealth in the Congo Basin; second chapter analyses the prospects for mining development in the Congo Basin; Third chapter assesses the potential impact of mining developments on forests; and the last chapter tries to identify ways to reconcile mining development and preservation of the Congo Basin forests.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Guide to the Debt Management Performance Assessment Tool(Washington, DC, 2008-02-05)The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and supplemental information to assist with country assessments of debt management performance, using the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) tool. The DeMPA is a methodology used for assessing public debt management performance through a comprehensive set of 15 performance indicators spanning the full range of government Debt Management (DeM) functions. It is based on the principles set out in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank guidelines for public debt management, initially published in 2001 and updated in 2003. It is modeled after the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework for performance measurement of public financial management. The DeMPA has been designed to be a user-friendly tool to undertake an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in government DeM practices. This guide provides additional background and supporting information so that a no specialist in the area of debt management may undertake a country assessment effectively. The guide can be used by assessors in preparing for and undertaking an assessment. It is particularly useful for understanding the rationale for the inclusion of the indicators, the scoring methodology, and the list of supporting documents or evidence required, and the questions that could be asked for the assessment.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-11)After several years of negative shocks, global growth is expected to hold steady in 2024 and then edge up in the next couple of years, in part aided by cautious monetary policy easing as inflation gradually declines. However, economic prospects are envisaged to remain tepid, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Risks to the outlook, while more balanced, are still tilted to the downside, including the possibility of escalating geopolitical tensions, further trade fragmentation, and higher-for-longer interest rates. Natural disasters related to climate change could also hinder activity. Subdued growth prospects across many emerging market and developing economies and continued risks underscore the need for decisive policy action at the global and national levels. Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.Publication The Mexican Social Protection System in Health(World Bank, Washington DC, 2013-01)With a population of 113 million and a per-capita Gross Domestic Product, or GDP of US$10,064 (current U.S. dollars), Mexico is one of the largest and highest-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The country has benefited from sustained economic growth during the last decade, which was temporarily interrupted by the financial and economic crisis. Real GDP is projected to grow 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively (International Monetary Fund, or IMF 2012). Despite this growth, poverty in the country remains high; with half of the population living below the national poverty line. The country is also highly heterogeneous, with large socioeconomic differences across states and across urban and rural areas. In 2010, while the extreme poverty ratio in the Federal District and the states of Colima and Nuevo Leon was below 3 percent, in Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca it was 25 percent or higher. These large regional differences are also found in other indicators of well-being, such as years of schooling, housing conditions, and access to social services. This case study assesses key features and achievements of the Social Protection System in Health (Sistema de Proteccion Social en Salud) in Mexico, and particularly of its main pillar, Popular Health Insurance (Seguro Popular, PHI). It analyzes the contribution of this policy to the establishment and implementation of universal health coverage in Mexico. In 2003, with the reform of the General Health Law, the PHI was institutionalized as a subsidized health insurance scheme open to the population not covered by the social security schemes. Today, the PHI covers all of its intended affiliates, about 52 million peoplePublication Crime and Violence in Central America : A Development Challenge - Main Report(World Bank, 2011-01-01)Crime and violence are now a key development issue for Central American countries. In three nations El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras crime rates are among the top five in Latin America. This report argues that successful strategies require actions along multiple fronts, combining prevention and criminal justice reform, together with regional approaches in the areas of drug trafficking and firearms. It also argues that interventions should be evidence based, starting with a clear understanding of the risk factors involved and ending with a careful evaluation of how any planned action might affect future options. In addition, the design of national crime reduction plans and the establishment of national cross-sectoral crime commissions are important steps to coordinate the actions of different government branches, ease cross-sectoral collaboration and prioritize resource allocation. Of equal importance is the fact that national plans offer a vehicle for the involvement of civil society organizations, in which much of the expertise in violence prevention and rehabilitation resides. Prevention efforts need to be complemented by effective law enforcement. The required reforms are no longer primarily legislative in nature because all six countries have advanced toward more transparent adversarial criminal procedures. The second-generation reforms should instead help deliver on the promises of previous reforms by: (i) strengthening key institutions and improving the quality and timeliness of the services they provide to citizens; (ii) improving efficiency and effectiveness while respecting due process and human rights; (iii) ensuring accountability and addressing corruption; (iv) increasing inter-agency collaboration; and (v) improving access to justice, especially for poor and disenfranchised groups. Specific interventions reviewed in the report include: information systems and performance indicators as a prerequisite to improve inter-institutional coordination and information sharing mechanisms; an internal overhaul of court administration and case management to create rapid reaction, one-stop shops; the strengthening of entities that provide legal counseling to the poor and to women; and the promotion of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and the implementation of community policing programs.