Guinea investment brings rail, port and job benefits and stimulus for greater economic development
The Guinea Alumna Corporation (GAC) plays a central part in the economy of Guinea, which is one of Africa’s poorest nations. The company mines bauxite – a rock that is the world’s main source of aluminium. GAC is developing a new facility in Guinea that will produce 12 metric tonnes of bauxite annually. 462 new permanent jobs have been created to date. 4,384 people were employed in the construction phases of the project.
EAIF loaned GAC US$40 million over 14 years, as part of a US$750 million debt package arranged by the International Finance Corporation.
Efficiently moving high volumes of crushed bauxite from the mine to the company’s port required improvements and expansion of transport infrastructure, including a 27.7km stretch of railway line, and significant investment in cargo handling facilities.
A 2.7km ‘marine trestle’ has been built at Kamsar port. It will transport the bauxite from the port railhead to barges. A multi-use container quay, currently being utilised by GAC, was completed in 2016. As the local economy strengthens, the new infrastructure has the potential to stimulate the creation of a trade corridor in the region and open up the container facility to more local and international traffic. Guinea’s main port of Conakry is 250km away, so the Kamsar port offers strong future potential for growth.
The project won the 2019 IJGlobal Africa Mining Deal of the Year Award.
