
Infrastructure development finance institution Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) on Wednesday announced the on time completion of the Bel Air mine, in Guinea on Wednesday. It also announces the first successful shipment of high-grade bauxite to China.

The construction of the mine was completed on time and within budget. Annual production capacity of the mine is expected to be 5.5-million tons of bauxite, which will be added to Guinea’s average annual bauxite exports of about 35-million tonnes.
The Bel Air mine was developed by bauxite producer Alufer Mining in the Boffa region of western Guinea.
The project was co-financed by a number of organizations under the name of International Investment Consortium and includes names like AFC, Orion Mine Finance and Resource Capital Funds. The total invested by the consortium was $205-million, making it the first and largest foreign investment in Guinea since the 2014.
The project employed over 1 500 people during construction, out of which 85% were Guinean nationals including local communities.
“This marks a significant milestone for the corporation, demonstrating its commitment to investing across Africa and providing employment and sustainable economic growth for those who need it most,” the AFC stated.
“The scale of African demand for financing infrastructure investment and maintenance is high. Traditional sources of public financing and weakened economic conditions in many regions of the world, including those ravaged by Ebola, have magnified the need for private capital,” commented AFC executive director and chief investment officer Oliver Andrews.
The project also included the construction of the first sea port to be built offshore West Africa. Andrews said that the completion of the mine and the port created job as well as created the “much-needed connections with international markets that will support sustainable growth for Guinea’s mining industry”.
Alufer CEO Bernie Pryor added that the company would be looking forward to work with AFC to deliver substantial returns for all stakeholders while creating opportunities and generating developments for people of Guinea.
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