Guinea's Simandou project has sent its first shipment of high-grade iron ore to China, marking a milestone in the long-delayed mining venture. The achievement rewards coup leader Mamady Doumbouya's efforts to build alliances with Chinese firms. Mining minister Djiba Diakite stressed the push for shared infrastructure with Rio Tinto.
Southeastern Guinea's Simandou mountain range, once a dense forest navigated by exploration teams using GPS and helicopters, has finally yielded vast reserves of its sought-after high-grade iron ore after decades of delay. Major works for the railway and deep-water port started in 2022, with the massive infrastructure—involving 206 bridges and four tunnels through challenging terrain—built at an unprecedented speed. This was enabled not only by the ambition of Rio Tinto and Chinese firms to secure the valuable iron ore, but by the forceful Guinean government's military-like mandate, China's logistical and engineering capacity for rapid construction, and the partners' massive financial muscle to break a crucial deadlock.
The project launched at Morebaya port on November 11, attended by top Guinean officials as well as Chinese and regional African leaders. Mining minister Djiba Diakite said China and Rio Tinto were pressed to work on shared infrastructure because 'we do not want railways running everywhere.' The first shipment of iron ore to China highlights efforts by the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) and Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG), involving Chinese firms like Chinalco and Baowu Steel Group. In November, Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm stood at the iron ore-rich mountain peak, reflecting on the scale of the transformation and the milestone reached.
This development strengthens China's economic ties with Africa, particularly through the Simandou Iron Ore project.