Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, leader of Guinea's military junta, has offered the mining minister another two weeks to meet with bauxite miners and discuss alumina refinery construction plans, according to a report by Bloomberg.
On March 4, 2023, the government of Guinea emailed that the mining companies must also submit their feasibility studies.
Guinea has one of the world's largest reserves of bauxite, and it is of metallurgical grade as well. In order to expand its economy, the West African nation's government is trying to force bauxite exporters to build more refining capacity in the country.
Guinea Alumina Corporation, a unit of Emirates Global Aluminum, Societe Miniere de Boke, and China's State Power Investment Corporation are among the companies due to submit their plans. After the May 2022 deadline, there will be another two-week deadline.
Even if the military junta is forcing the bauxite mining companies to plan for alumina refineries, the issue of a stable energy source is a big challenge in Guinea and West Africa. Nigeria, one of the African continent's leading economies, and Ghana are still countering the issue of stable electricity, for which the manufacturing industries in the ECOWAS region are suffering heavily.
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