Massive iron ore project inaugurated in Guinea

A China-Guinea partnership reached a milestone on Tuesday with the launch of Africa's biggest iron ore project and its infrastructure corridor.

The Simandou project, an integrated mining and infrastructure mega-project, is poised to open up the African country and become Guinea's largest source of revenue, serving as a transformative engine for regional growth and development.

Guinean government has reiterated that Simandou must prove that natural wealth can indeed be a lever for sustainable development.

"We aim to prove that the 'resource curse' is not inevitable," Djiba Diakite, minister and chief of staff to the president of Guinea and chairman of the Simandou 2040 Strategic Committee, said at an inauguration ceremony for the project in Forecariah near the capital Conakry.

According to the International Monetary Fund and other independent assessments, the project could boost Guinea's GDP by 20 to 30 percent or more within the coming decade.

Unlike previous mining ventures that stopped at raw exports, the first project of its kind in Africa incorporates iron ore mines, a more than 600-kilometer trans-Guinean railway, a new deep-water mineral port in Forecariah and a steel plant dedicated to local ore processing.

The testing and commissioning of the mine, rail and barge port system infrastructure was presided over by Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya and attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Gabonese counterpart Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, among other government representatives from the country and the region.

"This integration is intended to connect remote regions, stimulate internal trade and establish Guinea as a critical node in global supply chains," Diakite said.

"The infrastructure is not only for mining. The railway is also expected to open corridors for agriculture, other resource sectors such as transport and trade, lowering costs and raising incomes in the regions it traverses, which widens the effect beyond ore alone," Diakite stated.

With the participation of the Winning Consortium Simandou — a China-led partnership — China's engineering expertise, financial strength and experience in complex terrain have helped revive a project that had remained stalled for over 25 years. Other partners in the construction of the infrastructure that will support the export of a combined total of up to 120 million metric tons per year include Baowu, Chinalco and Rio Tinto.

Simandou contains over 3.3 billion metric tons of iron ore with an average grade above 65 percent.

Strong partnership

Winning International Group Chairman Sun Xiushun noted that the milestone reflects years of hard work and strong partnership between China and Guinea.

"We are proud to have delivered on our commitment and to stand with our partners in bringing Simandou into operation," he said.

Chairman of China Baowu Group Hu Wangming said the beginning of operations of the Simandou project marks a significant milestone in the history of the global mining industry.

"The stable supply of Simandou's premium iron ore resources will provide a solid foundation of low-carbon raw materials for the development of China's steel industry and the global steel sector," Hu said.

By opening a railway from Beyla and Macenta to the Atlantic coast, the project creates an economic corridor of agro-processing sites, logistics hubs and industrial parks designed to stimulate local production and employment.

Aguibou Ly, chief executive officer of IBS-Guinea, the project's main subcontractor, said the strong involvement of local workers will empower the country to undertake high-risk, specialized jobs.

"We are not just building infrastructure — we are building a skilled workforce that will serve Guinea for generations," Ly said.