You confuse mining unfriendly with corruption. West Africa is a...

You confuse mining unfriendly with corruption. West Africa is a very friendly mining area, as well as one that is seen by the majors as gold productive. The Philippines is currently mining unfriendly as well as corrupt (unfortunately for OGC).
The Lihir investment that you are thinking of is Bonikro in the Ivory Coast. Bonikro is currently producing gold from an open pit with well over 100Koz p.a. and has been producing since 2008 with a low AISC. Newcrest sold its 90% holding for $81M in 2017. Newcrest has previously said it will retain its other exploration tenements in Cote d'Ivoire as it continues to see the country as highly prospective for near-surface gold discoveries and an attractive jurisdiction for mining investment.
If you lost money on Lihir Gold it was probably from the operating costs at the Lihir mine in PNG. However, I profited nicely when Newcrest bought out LHG.