Mining Dispute Over Cocoa Plantation Escalates: S&B Mining Seeks Parliamentary Intervention

A local mining conflict in Sierra Leone’s Kono District is intensifying as S&B Mining and Construction Company challenges what it calls the unlawful encroachment on its legally owned 32-hectare cocoa plantation. Peter Tamba Williams, representing S&B, has filed a formal complaint with Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Mineral Resources, accusing Eastern Mining, Masmark Mining, and Willark Mining Companies of including the plantation in their mining applications to the National Minerals Agency (NMA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The contested land, located in Deyoh Village in the Sawa Buma Section of Kono District, has been in S&B’s possession following an extensive, legally sanctioned process of community engagement and ownership transfer. S&B’s grievance rests on the assertion that the proposed mining concession area includes the cocoa plantation, which is classified as “excluded land” under Section 23(e) of the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2022. This law prohibits mining applications on such land without the explicit consent of the rightful landowners, approved by the local Chiefdom Authorities.

In his letter, Williams emphasizes that S&B Mining has made multiple attempts to resolve the issue through formal channels, including letters sent to both NMA and EPA in July and August 2024. However, these appeals went unanswered, prompting the company to seek the intervention of the Parliamentary Committee.

The 32 hectares in question were transferred to S&B after the company secured formal consent from 36 farmers who previously held rights to the land. The transfer process was conducted under the supervision of local authorities, including the section Chief and Paramount Chief, and involved financial compensation totaling Two Million Eight Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand Leones. S&B further submitted its application to the NMA and EPA, complete with a scoping report and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

Williams is now urging the Parliamentary Committee to act swiftly to remove the 32 hectares of cocoa plantation from the mining applications submitted by the three mining companies. He emphasizes the need to protect property rights, agricultural investments, and regulatory compliance to prevent further conflict and uphold lawful land ownership.

This dispute highlights broader concerns around land governance, regulatory oversight, and resource management in Sierra Leone’s mining sector. As stakeholders await a resolution, the outcome could have significant implications for the balance between economic development, environmental sustainability, and the protection of local land rights in the country’s mining landscape.