Ministry of Land, Mines and Energy

The Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy (MLME) is the Liberian government agency responsible for the administration of the mining sector and has statutory oversight for the energy, land, mineral, and water sectors. The minister as of mid-2013 was Patrick Sendolo.

=Licensing and competencies in minerals and energy= The MLME grants mining concessions in collaboration with the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) and with the support of an inter-ministerial Mineral Technical Committee.

The ministry also sets policy directions and coordinates activities in the upstream and downstream petroleum sectors through the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), responsible for petroleum exploration and production, and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, which is responsible for the storage and distribution of petroleum products.

=Organization= Overall, the ministry comprises seven departments:


 * Department of Lands, Surveys and Cartography, which contains the Liberian Cartographic Service and the Bureau of Lands and Surveys. The department is responsible for managing state land and properties leased to the government, procuring land for all government departments, preparing maps and land records, and providing a National Land Information system for Liberia.
 * Department of Mineral Exploration and Research, which contains the Liberian Geological Survey and the Liberian Hydrological Service
 * Department of Mines and Mineral Resources Development and Conservation, which contains the Bureau of Mines and Bureau of Economic Forecast and Mining Concession Appraisal. The department is responsible for administering exploration and mining tenements, processing applications for grant and renewal, granting licenses, and certifying of mining personnel and specific mining equipment.
 * Department of Energy, which contains the Bureau of Hydrocarbons and the Bureau of Energy Technology and Policy Development. The department is responsible for facilitating energy provision to domestic, commercial and industrial users by public enterprises and the private sector
 * Department of Planning and Development
 * Inspectorate Division
 * Department of Administration

=External links= Ministry of Land, Mines and Energy website

=References=