Signing of the First Mining Agreement of Nimba Mining Company (NMC SA), a Company 100% Owned by the Guinean State

The convention formalises a significant milestone for NMC SA following the company’s establishment as a 100% state-owned mining company and the start of bauxite exports in November 2025.

Guinea’s stated ambition extends beyond mining and exporting bauxite to processing the mineral into alumina locally and, ultimately, producing aluminium.

Signing of the First Mining Agreement of Nimba Mining Company (NMC SA), a Company 100% Owned by the Guinean State — Photo credit © Simandou 2040 Program

Nimba Mining Company (NMC SA) is 100% owned by the Guinean State.
NMC was created on 4 August 2025.
The company exported its first tonnes of bauxite on 5 November 2025.
The agreement is NMC SA’s first Mining Convention.
Patrice L'Huillier is Managing Director of NMC.
Guinea intends to develop local bauxite-to-alumina processing.
Longer-term ambitions include aluminium production in Guinea.

A new stage has been reached in Guinea's mining history with the signing of the first Mining Convention of Nimba Mining Company (NMC SA), a company whose capital has been 100% owned by the State since its creation, on August 4, 2025.

The ceremony was presided over by the Minister Chief of Staff of the Presidency and Chairman of the Strategic Committee of Simandou, Djiba DIAKITÉ, alongside the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, General Amara CAMARA, in the presence of members of the Strategic Committee, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Guineans Living Abroad, Dr Morissanda KOUYATÉ, advisors to the Presidency, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Budget, Dr Mamoudou TOURÉ, the Director General of Taxes, Fatoumata Foula DIALLO, officials from the Ministry of Mines and Geology and company officials.

This signing represents a major moment in the transformation of the Guinean mining sector and reflects the will of the President of the Republic, Head of State, H.E. Mamadi DOUMBOUYA, to strengthen national control of strategic resources, to establish responsible governance and to make mining potential an engine of growth and shared prosperity for the well-being of our people.

At the opening of the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Morissanda Kouyaté, reviewed the diplomatic process that resolved the dispute between the former company (GAC) and the State, paving the way for the creation of NMC. The Minister of Mines and Geology, Bouna Sylla, then emphasised that the company had fully taken control of its assets, marked by the export of the first tons of bauxite on November 5, 2025. The Managing Director of NMC, Patrice L'Huillier, reaffirmed his team's commitment to developing the company while respecting the interests of Guinea.

The Chairman of the Strategic Committee, Djiba Diakité, emphasised the historic significance of this agreement, which goes beyond a simple administrative accord and marks a step towards greater sovereignty over its natural resources. "For the first time, Guinea is mining and marketing its own ore on international markets, with the ambition of processing bauxite into alumina locally, and eventually producing aluminium," he stated, calling on all stakeholders to maintain their commitment to transforming this ambition into concrete results.

This convention embodies a new vision: that of a country which intends to fully exercise its sovereignty over its natural resources and transform them into instruments of economic and social development, under the impetus of the President of the Republic, Head of State, H.E. Mamadi DOUMBOUYA.