The implementation of the Simandou 2040 Program continues to reach new milestones in the Guinean industrial sector. The Republic of Guinea and Chalco Guinea Company signed agreements on Thursday, May 22, 2026, for the construction of an alumina refinery in Boffa. This partnership was sealed under the auspices of the Minister Director of the Presidency’s Cabinet, Djiba DIAKITÉ, President of the Simandou Strategic Committee, in the presence of the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, General Amara CAMARA, Presidential advisors, and members of the Strategic Committee.
This project, considered strategic in the national policy of local transformation of mineral resources, represents a major advancement for the Guinean industrial sector. It is an extension of the Sino-Guinean framework agreement concluded during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in China in 2026, between His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mamadi DOUMBOUYA, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Through this project, His Excellency President Mamadi DOUMBOUYA aims to strengthen the country’s industrialization momentum and accelerate the local valorization of mineral resources. With this new infrastructure, Guinea will have a third alumina refinery since its independence. The other two projects already underway involve the refinery led by SPIC, expected in 2027, and that of the Winning Consortium Alumina Guinea, announced for 2028.
The project developed by Chalco Guinea Company plans for an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons of alumina. Its total cost is estimated at 1.68 billion US dollars, with over a billion dollars allocated to refining infrastructure. The signed agreements provide for a structured contractual framework around specific technical requirements, performance obligations, and control mechanisms to ensure compliance with the commitments made by the various parties.
Beyond the industrial investment, the project includes a significant component dedicated to training and developing national skills. As part of the Simandou Academy initiative, 500 scholarships will be granted over a twenty-year period, at a rate of 25 scholarships per year in technical and industrial fields.
The project also includes the construction of an engineering and technical training school in Guinea, capable of accommodating up to 100 students per field each year for ten years. Local content measures are also included to promote the employment of young Guineans, technology transfer, and the strengthening of national technical capacities.
The President of the Simandou Strategic Committee, Djiba DIAKITÉ, considers this project as a major lever of the national economic transformation strategy, based on industrialization and value creation from the country’s natural resources. This aligns with the guiding principle of the Simandou 2040 program, which aims to achieve five refineries by 2030, three of which are already in the development phase.
With the launch of the Boffa alumina refinery, Guinea is thus pursuing its objective of reducing the export of raw materials in favor of local industrial transformation, considered essential to strengthen the country’s economic sovereignty and stimulate the creation of national wealth.
