When we think of Sierra Leone and Liberia, two of the poorest countries in the world, now recovering from a long-lasting and bloody civil war, blood diamonds are among the first thoughts that come to mind. Nevertheless, provided good governance and environmental legislation are in place, sustainable development and exploitation of mineral resources can contribute significantly to socio-economic development of developing nations. For Sierra Leone and Liberia, mineral resource development offers a window of opportunity, most likely the only one in the short and middle term.

The new governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia face a huge task to rebuild their nations virtually from scratch. The development of productive sectors to generate income and provide economic growth will be critical for this process to succeed.

As peasants abandoned their lands during wartime, the agricultural sector will take a long time to recover. Other sectors of the economy such as tourism, industry and services will take many years to mature and become competitive to produce revenues and jobs. At this stage of development, the main source of socio-economic growth will therefore come from developing, in a sustainable manner and with minimal damage to the environment, the mineral wealth of both countries.

Due to a changing patterns in global economy, Sierra Leone and Liberia are facing an exploration boom since peace was restored. This will lead in due course to profitable mineral extraction. However, these mining operations must be regulated and controlled by the government. Only then will they contribute to rural development, pay taxes, and contribute to the country’s balance of payment.

To consolidate the process, the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia are striving to create an enabling environment, capable of attracting investments. This includes a fair mining legislation, a competitive fiscal regime, good governance, absence of corruption, public safety, a civil infrastructure and a high-quality geoscience infrastructure.

The GEOSIERRA project focusses on this geoscience infrastructure, of which the universities and their geological departments are a vital part. They must deliver geological knowledge and expertise to the government to enable control and environmentally friendly mineral development. They must train and deliver skilled graduates in geology who will work in the local labour market.

Purpose of the GEOSIERRA project

Geoscience plays a role in the exploration, exploitation and management of a country’s mineral wealth. Equally important is the role of geoscience to mitigate natural or man-made damage to the eco-system. The Departments of Geology of the universities in Sierra Leone and Liberia are the local guardians of the geosciences and the GEOSIERRA project addresses their specific needs.

The central focus of the activities to be implemented is to build capacity for academic improvement and research in geology at the Departments of Geology of the two universities. The specific problem is the lack of capacity in education and research at the partner institutes, which are in urgent need for institutional strengthening, curriculum development and capacity building. The GEOSIERRA project therefore aims to upgrade the knowledge and skills of academic staff.

Planned activities

Firstly, the existing curricula at the Departments of Geology of the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Liberia will be carefully studied and evaluated. This will be done through a participatory approach, including all stakeholders, to take into account all needs of the curriculum in terms of the best output of geology graduates. Educational materials and methodologies will be developed accordingly. The new curriculum will be implemented and subsequently monitored and evaluated.

Parallel to the process of curriculum development, staff members of the geological departments of the universities of Sierra Leone and Liberia will receive scientific and technological courses to update their geological skills, according to the newest insights in geological research. This will be done through a visit of four staff members to the Geological Department of the VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Additionally, several short courses and field excursions for staff members will be organised in Sierra Leone and Liberia, facilitated by lecturers from the VU University Amsterdam, on specific topics related to the local geological setting and situation, and the needs identified in Liberia and Sierra Leone. After several regional network-formation workshops including all stakeholders, a regional conference on the geology of West Africa will be the the concluding event of the project.

Expected impact

The overall objective of the GEOSIERRA project is the development of geological expertise fostered at the heart of the two national universities. This will provide the governments of both Sierra Leone and Liberia with the necessary geological expertise to protect and treasure their valuable mineral resources in the best manner.

Another important goal is the stimulus of environmentally friendly development of mineral resources of the two countries.The productive sectors will benefit from the project by the increased output of geologically skilled professionals, necessary for socio-economic development.

 

Project Coordinator	VU University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Partners	University of Sierra Leone University of Liberia
Associates
Duration	36 months
Implementation
EU Co-funding	EUR 499.110,00
Total Budget	EUR 589.310,00
Contact	Drs. Anna Bon VU University Amsterdam Centre for International Cooperation Metropolitan Building Buitenveldertselaan 3-7 1082 VA Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 641 157 016 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it