Liberia Backs Ivanhoe Atlantic Rail Deal to Unlock Iron Ore Mine

A US company backed by billionaire Robert Friedland took a key step toward building an iron ore mine in Guinea after lawmakers in neighboring Liberia greenlit an agreement allowing the firm to access an export railway.

The Senate in Liberia on Thursday ratified a deal that Ivanhoe Atlantic Inc. concluded with the West African nation’s government earlier this year, after negotiations that lasted half a decade. The House of Representatives already approved the agreement in a vote last week.