‘Hasty & Malicious’: Nongowa Chiefs Ask President Bio to Halt Chinese Takeover of Gold Site
The Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources is facing renewed scrutiny over its handling of gold mining operations in the Kamboi Hills, Kenema District, following allegations that a licence was granted to a Chinese company without following due legal process.
It is widely rumoured that the Ministry, under the leadership of Minister Julius Mattai, has accorded an operational licence to a Chinese firm at the site previously held by JM Mining Company. Sources claim the decision was made without the prior exploration and commercial discovery requirements set out in Sierra Leone’s Mines and Minerals Development Act.
Under the Act, a company seeking a large-scale or small-scale mining licence must first hold an exploration licence, conduct the necessary testing to establish economic viability, and demonstrate a commercial discovery before the licence can be converted to a mining licence.
The law does provide for exceptions. A combined exploration and mining licence may be awarded through a public tender, and for minerals deemed essential to national security or public well-being, Cabinet approval can permit a combined licence. Even in those cases, the Act still requires the holder to commence exploration and satisfy environmental and operational prerequisites before full production begins.
JM Mining Company’s licence for the Kamboi Hills site was recently revoked by the Ministry. In a protest letter written to President Bio and signed by Authorities at Nongowa Chiefdom, they described the revocation as “hasty and malicious,” arguing that it risks undermining investor confidence in Sierra Leone’s mining sector.
“The Ministry’s decision has the tendency of discouraging potential investors from Sierra Leone,” a resident of Kenema told The Informant Newspaper. “JM Mining Company is fully capacitated financially and human resource-wise to continue its work for the people of Kenema.”
The chiefdom authorities are calling on the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources to reinstate JM Mining Company’s revoked licence and to ensure that all licensing decisions adhere strictly to the provisions of the Mines and Minerals Development Act.
It will be recalled that a week a Authorities of Nongowa Chiefdom wrote a strongly worded petition to State House, urging President Julius Maada Bio to overturn the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Hon. Julius Daniel Mattai’s
decision to rescind a large-scale mining license previously granted to JM Mining Kenema (SL) Ltd.
In the petition signed by landowners and the Paramount Chief, the chiefdom described JM Mining as a “credible, respectable, and responsible corporate citizen” that has operated in the area for nine years. Restored time, the company said it invested heavily in exploration, met all contractual obligations, and funded projects in healthcare, education, and agricultural cooperatives.
“We consider them to be credible investors, awaiting the development of the mine to do much more for the larger host setting,” the petition states.
The Ministry revoked the license offer citing alleged non-payment of certain fees within a stipulated period. Community leaders acknowledge JM Mining faced temporary financial difficulties, but say the company has since secured funding and notified the Ministry of its readiness to settle outstanding payments and proceed with mine development.
They argue that withdrawing the offer after nearly a decade of work, and reallocating mineral rights to parties with no prior investment, amounts to a “blatant injustice.”
The petition also names the Ministry and the National Minerals Agency. It alleges officials attempted to impose new investors on the community “based upon a fraudulent misrepresentation of our consent.” According to the signatories, neither landowners nor the Paramount Chief agreed to host the new applicants.
“The pressure to accept these newcomers is most distasteful and unacceptable,” the document reads, adding that the move undermines community rights and the authority of the Paramount Chief and risks creating tensions.
Residents reminded the President of a 25-year surface lease agreement signed with JM Mining in 2023, which they say they intend to honour.
“We are a people of honour, Mr President, and we wish to keep, and not violate, that honour,” the petition notes.
Closing with an appeal to fairness, justice, and mercy, the chiefdom asked the President to weigh JM Mining’s long history of investment and community support, and its current capacity to meet obligations, rather than enforce the decision on strict legal technicalities.
“Let us not turn them away so heartlessly, Mr President,” the letter concludes. “On behalf of the people of Nongowa Chiefdom, Your trusting and supportive subjects.”
For Nongowa leaders, the dispute is framed not simply as a licensing matter, but as a test of whether long-term, community-backed investment will be protected, or displaced in favour of new entrants who, in their view, contributed nothing to the discovery or to the social fabric of the area.