Sierra Leone’s year-on-year mining revenue has decreased by 85 percent, official figures show on Friday.
According to the Mines Ministry, Sierra Leone’s revenue from mining decreased from 2.24$ million in April 2019 to $330 000 in April 2020.
The West African country’s economy depends heavily on the mineral sector (~80% of export revenue).
The drop in mining revenue or exports is largely due to restrictions imposed by authorities to contain the COVID-19 that has infected 408 people and claimed 26 lives.
Sierra Leone has banned all flights to the country and deployed its military to help enforce the closure of its borders with Guinea and Liberia in a bid to prevent the virus from spilling over to local communities.
ABJ/APA