By: OrePulse

Ivanhoe Atlantic's country manager for Liberia, Henrique Caine, left the company by mutual agreement, with his departure effective October 23, 2026, the company said, amid continuing negotiations with the Liberian government over legislation to establish a new rail authority.

"Mr. Henrique Caine has departed the company," Ivanhoe Atlantic said in a statement, adding that, "by mutual agreement, Mr. Caine's last day with the company is October 23, 2026." Caine had served as country manager since July 2024.

The company credited Caine with advancing ratification of a concession and access agreement, securing environmental permits for its Liberia operations, and managing relations with the government and other stakeholders throughout his time in the role.

Caine had previously worked for the company, then operating under the name High Power Exploration, as a consultant from 2021 to 2022. He rejoined in 2024, when the company resumed engagement with Liberian authorities under the administration of President Joseph Boakai.

Ivanhoe Atlantic's pursuit of rail access in Liberia dates to 2021, during the administration of then-President George Weah. The effort continued under Boakai, who took office in 2024, and Liberia's National Legislature ratified a rail access agreement on December 18, 2025. That agreement took effect on January 16, 2026, covering infrastructure the company intends to use to move iron ore for export through a corridor linking deposits in Guinea to the Liberian coast.

In March 2026, the company said it had received multiple environmental permits from Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency, after regulators completed an assessment of environmental and social impacts across three counties.

Talks between Ivanhoe Atlantic and the Liberian government continued over separate draft legislation to establish a National Rail Authority. A stakeholder engagement session on that draft law was scheduled for November 4, 2026, according to the company.

The rail corridor under discussion, which runs between Yekepa and Buchanan, is also used by mining company ArcelorMittal, which has long operated existing rail infrastructure in the same area to move its own iron ore output. Management of relations with the Liberian government over the rail arrangements had fallen to the country manager role Caine held before his departure.