A mining firm named Nimba Mining Company (NMC), newly established by the government of West Africa’s Guinea, will “immediately” take over the bauxite mining rights previously held by Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), through a presidential decree issued by Guinea's president Mamady Doumbouya, local media quote Guinean public broadcaster Radio Television Guineenne as announcing on August 4.
The government justified the decision by citing GAC's non-compliance with obligations under the national Mining Code, though no specific details were provided. GAC is a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), as Mysteel Global has reported.
NMC has been established as a public limited company with legal personality and a board of directors, the reports said. It will operate under the joint supervision of the country's Ministry of Mines and Geology and Ministry of Economy and Finance, with its headquarters located in Kamsar, a coastal city in the Boké Region in northwestern Guinea.
The mining concession transferred to NMC covers 690.2 square kilometers in the Boké Region and is estimated to hold approximately 400 million tonnes of bauxite resources, publicly available information showed. The new company has been granted a 25-year renewable operating lease, and it is required to begin operations within one year, according to the terms of the decree. The decree also emphasizes the mandatory prioritization of hiring Guinean workers with equivalent qualifications.
This transfer came after a long-standing dispute between the Guinean state and GAC regarding the latter's failure to construct an alumina refinery, a commitment made under previous agreements.
GAC began bauxite mining operations in Guinea in 2019 and exported 12.8 million tonnes of bauxite in 2023, making itself one of the country's leading bauxite producers. However, tensions escalated in October 2024, when the government banned GAC from exporting bauxite and blocked its rail access, forcing it to halt operations at its mining site, according to a statement published on GAC's official website.
In May 2025, the government notified GAC of its plan to revoke its mining license due to its failure to fulfill its refinery construction commitment. The situation further deteriorated in July when the government terminated the basic agreement that authorized EGA's operations in the country.
In response to Guinea's latest move, GAC's parent company EGA strongly condemned the government's actions. In a press release issued on August 5, the company asserted that the decision violated GAC's legal rights and undermined investor confidence. EGA stated that it would pursue "all necessary measures" to protect its rights and interests.