Freetown, 5th August 2026- The Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources has issued a detailed statement dismissing claims that JM Mining Kenema (SL) Limited had its large-scale mining licence revoked, insisting that no licence was ever granted in the first place.
According to the Ministry, JM Mining was offered a conditional licence on 23 January 2025, following ministerial intervention to resolve a dispute with the Environment Protection Agency. The offer required the company to formally accept within 30 days and pay statutory fees amounting to US$1.1 million.
The National Minerals Agency (NMA) reportedly withheld immediate payment demands for six months to give the company time to secure financing. Despite repeated extensions and grace periods, JM Mining failed to meet its obligations. On 30 January 2026, more than a year after the initial offer, the Minister confirmed that the licence offer had lapsed.
Officials stressed that under Section 108(5) of the Mines and Minerals Development Act, a licence can only be issued once acceptance and payment are completed. Since JM Mining did neither, “no licence could be, or was, withdrawn.”
The Ministry highlighted efforts made to assist the company:
December 2023: JM Mining complained to the Minister about EPA restrictions. April 2024: The Minister met the company’s CEO to discuss the impasse. May 2024: The Minister wrote to the Minister of Environment, pledging support and directing the NMA to guide JM Mining through the licensing process. January 2025: The Minerals Advisory Board recommended approval, and the licence offer was conveyed. July 2025 – January 2026: Payment orders were issued, deadlines extended, and grace periods granted, but no fees were paid.
The Ministry underscored that JM Mining itself acknowledged default in writing on at least three occasions. In correspondence dated 31 October 2025, 15 January 2026, and 29 January 2026, the company admitted being overdue on payments and even requested a new payment order after missing its own extended deadline.
The Ministry rejected claims of hostility toward foreign investors, pointing to the Minister’s personal involvement in resolving disputes outside his portfolio and the NMA’s extended support.
“This record shows a Government that went to considerable lengths to help one such investment succeed,” the statement read. “But the requirements, accept the offer within thirty days, pay the prescribed fees within thirty days, apply to every applicant. To waive them for one company would be to penalise every operator that has met them.”
The Ministry concluded that Sierra Leone’s mineral resources “belong to the people of Sierra Leone” and will only be entrusted to companies that meet their legal obligations.
