MONROVIA: A group of Grand Gedeh citizens and activists, under the banner: ‘Gedeh United to Protect Natural Resources (GUProNRes)’, has alarmed over what it terms as a dubious plan by some unnamed officials of the county to sell the Putu Mountain concession to an illegitimate and unknown foreign company.
The group, in a statement issued on Sunday, September 29, 2024, sent out a caveat to the Liberian government against its alleged intent to enter into an investment agreement with a foreign company to take over the Putu Mountain concession in Grand Gedeh County.
The statement, read by GUProNRes’ Director of Press, Sampson T. Noah, quoted a credible government source as saying that plans are nearing conclusion with an unnamed foreign company, for it to acquire the Putu Mountain.
According to the Grand Gedeh County citizens group, the company in question has no proven and solid financial and economic capacity and/or substantive long-term operational experience, such as operating a major mineral concession like Putu Mountain.
The group further indicated that the motive of the alleged unlawful plan is being influenced by some selfish individuals in both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
Their plan is to unduly accumulate for themselves millions of dollars by acquiring the concession and to further sell it to another company with the requisite economic and financial capacity.
According to GUProNRes, there is no guaranteed arrangement to assure the people of Grand Gedeh County of the required social and economic benefits for the planned exploitation of their resources.
The group also raised serious concern as it relates to what it characterizes as “possible acts of environmental degradation” against the best interest of the people of Grand Gedeh County.
However, the Grand Gedeh citizens group, in the statement vowed to mobilize other citizens and residents of the county to democratically and lawfully resist any illegal attempts to dubiously sell or give out Putu Mountain to any concession foreign company with no clear assurance of how the people of Grand Gedeh would benefit, as well as the proven integrity, financial and economic capacity of such company.
It can be recalled that in 2017, the then Minister of Mines & Energy, Patrick Sendolo, confirmed before the Liberian Senate that Russian steel giant, Putu Mining, pulled out of Liberia.
Former Minister Sendolo, at the time, told the country that the Putu Mining Concession left Liberia because it could not handle the mining operations alone, after it tried to find partners but to no avail.
Minister Sendolo’s appearance before the Senate was a result of a formal communication written then, by then Grand Gedeh County Senator, G. Alphonso Gaye, requesting his colleagues to investigate circumstances surrounding the closure of Putu Mining.
Senator Gaye also requested the government to state whether or not the concession company had completely ceased its operation in the country, and if so, what led to its closure.
The former senator also wanted to know whether or not the company relinquished its rights to the concession.
