Guinea has opened talks with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) on a possible bauxite supply arrangement. The deal could see EGA source ore from Guinea’s state-owned Nimba Mining. Three people familiar with the matter confirmed the discussions between them.
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The talks come months after Guinea’s military-led government revoked the licence of EGA subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) in July. The decision followed a year-long dispute over the construction of an alumina refinery. Guinea later transferred GAC’s mining assets to Nimba Mining.
A supply agreement could help ease tensions. It may also prevent legal action EGA has threatened over the seizure. “Discussions are going well, and it is to avoid litigation,” a government source said. All sources requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
Nimba Mining informed news sources that it had no information and was not involved in the discussions. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Guinea's minister of mines, and EGA declined to comment.
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EGA searches for stability after licence withdrawal
EGA is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and Dubai’s Investment Corporation. It is the world’s largest producer of premium aluminium. The company invested more than USD 1 billion in GAC. At its peak, GAC exported about 14 million metric tonnes of bauxite annually before the cancellation of its licence.
EGA’s refinery in the UAE is engineered for GAC’s ore. One source said this makes Guinea-origin bauxite strategically important. Since the licence withdrawal, EGA has been actively seeking alternative supplies. Talks with Guinea suggest a pragmatic approach to the prolonged dispute.
Guinea is the world’s largest bauxite exporter. It also holds the largest known reserves globally. Recent policies mirror moves by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to increase state control and revenues.
The 1.5 million tonnes of bauxite that GAC had accumulated prior to the licence revocation were exported by Nimba Mining in late October. Patrice L'Huillier, Managing Director of Nimba Mining, told sources on Monday that it had now exported 680,000 tonnes of ore.
With a goal of exporting 10 million tonnes in 2026 and eventually increasing to 14 million tonnes, Nimba Mining intends to resume production this month.
The mining licence spans an estimated 470 million tonnes of bauxite reserves, and Nimba has initiated a tender to develop a 1.2 million-tonne-per-year refinery in accordance with government policy, L’Huillier said.
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