NEWS ; Mining and energy companies reconsider investments in West Africa

Liberian president changes mind about the severity of the outbreak -- writes letter to the world begging for help
The president of Liberia wrote a letter to the world, begging for help as her nation has come to a standstill from the ravages of ebola.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wrote that the damage ebola has caused in West Africa, from the economy and public health, has reverberations across the world. "This is a fight in which the whole world has a stake," Sirleaf said. "This disease respects no borders."

Ebola first appeared in Guinea and has spread across West Africa. Along with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have suffered the worst of the crisis with over 4,500 combined deaths.

Sirleaf changed her mind about the urgency of the virus' impact on her country. Three weeks ago, Sirleaf told a reporter that Liberia was stabilizing from the viral outbreak. In comments to France 24's English channel, Sirleaf said they were beginning to see a stabilization, even in Monrovia which has been the hardest hit." Monrovia is Liberia's capital.

Now, Sirleaf believes that "ebola is not just a health crisis -- across West Africa, a generation of young people risk being lost to an economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut and borders are closed."

Already, the UK firm, London Mining, which has suffered from high costs and falling iron prices, warned that it did not have enough cash to operate its only mine in Sierra Leone and has withdrawn non-essential staff from the country. The company said it believes investors are scared by the impact ebola is having in West Africa.

In September, Deutsche Bank warned investors that besieged gold miners are the most vulnerable to a lengthy and deadly ebola outbreak.

Gold mining companies that operate on the continent include Randgold Resources, whose locations are entirely focused on West and Central Africa.

Nordgold and AngloGold Ashanti are also exposed with 57% and 53% of their net present value in the most affected region respectively, according to Deutsche Bank.

In the beginning of October, ExxonMobil announced it was postponing operations off the coast of Liberia where it recently acquired an 80 percent stake in a joint venture with Canadian Overseas Petroleum.

The Liberian president also warned of a potential food shortage as victims and families refuse to return to the countryside while food that should be harvested rots in the fields.