Beyond Guinea: Liberia’s iron ore export boom accelerates

While Guinea’s Simandou project dominates headlines, Liberia is quietly emerging as West Africa’s other iron ore success story.

Liberian iron ore exports reached 8.6Mt in 1H’26, doubling YoY and already equalling 85% of 2025 shipments.

The surge follows a strong recovery in 2025, when exports rose +160% YoY to 10.1Mt after a weak 2024. Growth is underpinned by ArcelorMittal’s planned expansion to as much as 30Mtpa by 2050 and the opening of Buchanan’s rail corridor to Guinean iron ore, positioning Liberia as a strategic Atlantic gateway alongside Simandou’s development.

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