Liberia to establish national centre for monitoring earth tremors

Liberia is establishing a National Data Centre to monitor earth tremors and other environmental hazards. The facility will be hosted and coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia.

The initiative follows two earth tremors reported in Lofa County in 2024. At the time, an EPA investigation revealed that the country lacked the necessary equipment and systems to record the incidents, determine their causes, or provide reliable information to the public.

To address this gap, the Liberian government held discussions with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conferences in 2024 and 2025. The agreement with the CTBTO aims to utilize sensors capable of detecting seismic activity, which can assist in identifying whether tremors are natural or caused by human activity, such as mining.

The EPA has already commissioned a modern environmental laboratory in Monrovia to accommodate the proposed centre. The facility is expected to improve disaster response, enhance mining safety, and provide the public with factual data following seismic events.