MONROVIA, Oct. 20 -- For most of the past half-century, Liberia's mineral wealth has been a story told in the past tense. In the 1960s and 1970s, iron ore from the Nimba and Bong ranges made this small West African nation one of the world's leading exporters of the steelmaking ingredient. Then came 14 years of civil war, and the mines, railways and ports fell silent.

By Rodney D. Sieh

This month, the government is staking its economic future on rewriting that story in the present tense.

On October 28 and 29, Liberia will host the first Liberia International Mining and Energy Conference & Expo, known as LIMEC 2026, a gathering of ministers, mining executives, energy developers, financiers and development partners. Organized jointly by t...