Guinean authorities have officially launched construction work on the Chalco alumina refinery in Boffa, a major industrial project tightly integrated into the Simandou 2040 program.
The construction work on the massive refinery was officially launched on June 13, 2026, in Boffa, located in western Guinea, according to official information released by the presidency on Monday. The project is a core component of the dynamic Simandou 2040 strategic program led by President Mamadi Doumbouya, which actively aims for the comprehensive local transformation of the country’s vast mineral resources.
The launching ceremony was co-chaired by the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, General Amara Camara, and the Minister Director of Cabinet of the Presidency, Djiba Diakité, who also serves as the president of both the Simandou strategic committee and the Sino-Guinean framework agreement. The milestone event was well-attended by several members of the government, prominent industrial partners, and local community representatives. This new industrial unit directly follows the signing of agreements on May 21, 2026, in Conakry between Chalco Hong Kong, a subsidiary of the China Aluminum Corporation (Chinalco), and the Guinean State. It constitutes the third alumina refinery to be launched in the country under the leadership of the current administration, following previous projects by SPIC and the Winning consortium.
For Djiba Diakité, this project goes far beyond the classic industrial framework and strongly symbolizes a structural transformation of the national economy. He emphasized that it serves as a powerful lever of economic sovereignty based on the creation of local added value, sustainable employment, and the intensive training of national skills. The prefect of Boffa, Colonel Mamadou Ciré Bah, warmly welcomed the implementation of the project in the region and called on local youth to proactively prepare for the incoming employment and training opportunities. To support this transition, state authorities plan to generate approximately 1,000 direct jobs and 1,200 indirect jobs, while concurrently launching dedicated scholarship programs and constructing technical training infrastructure.
The project, which carries an estimated cost of around $1 billion, is projected to enable an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of alumina. It relies heavily on the exploitation of high-quality bauxite from the Boffa region and aims to sharply reduce the country’s long-standing dependence on the raw export of raw materials. For Conakry, this major initiative is part of a much broader strategy focused on the industrial development of the mining sector and the consolidation of its partnership with the Chinalco group, which is already an active player in several structuring projects across Guinea, most notably Simandou and the Compagnie du Transguinéen (CTG).
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