PROJECT DURATION
June 2024-May 2025
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Guinea (Conakry)
SECTOR
Critical raw materials – Bauxite/alumina industry
About
Guinea possesses significant bauxite reserves, representing one-third of the world’s total. Bauxite is refined into alumina, which is then smelted into primary aluminum. Bauxite and alumina are considered critical raw materials by the European Union and the United States.
The mining sector plays a key role in Guinea’s economy, mainly through the export of raw materials. Local content policies are designed to promote local employment in bauxite refining. However, the country faces a shortage of skilled labor, particularly in alumina-related professions.
On March 21, 2024, General Mamadi Doumbouya, President of the Republic of Guinea, announced through a presidential decree that the Alteo Alumina group’s alumina refinery project, Alteo Refinery Guinea (ARG), was recognized as being of National Interest.
On June 24, 2024, the Government of Guinea, the French group ALTEO Alumina and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) signed a public-private development partnership (PPDP) aimed at accelerating skills development to strengthen the bauxite and alumina industry in Guinea. This partnership is a core driver of Alteo’s alumina refinery (ARG) project to build an alumina refinery in the Boke region. The aim is to foster, through the transfer of skills, the emergence of a highly qualified workforce in Guinea, thereby supporting the national bauxite value addition strategy and creating a local bauxite refining industry. This partnership underlines Alteo’s commitment to sustainable development and economic growth in Guinea, ensuring that the local community benefits directly from the refinery project, through the support of local and national authorities towards sustainable development and UNIDO’s expertise in this field.
Project
This PPDP is integral to Guinea’s national strategy for advancing the bauxite value chain.
The PPDP aims to improve young Guineans’ access to quality training and provide opportunities for skilled work in Guinea’s emerging alumina industry.
The project will strengthen the country’s skills development system with the establishment of the Conakry Alumina Training School (Ecole de Formation pour les Métiers de l’Alumine à Conakry, EFAC). EFAC is central to the national strategy for enhancing bauxite value, benefiting the entire industrial sector. Structuring a local bauxite/alumina industry is a strategic priority for the country, determined to diversify its export base and move up the value chain.
Expected results
The 12-month design phase aims to conduct in-depth analyses, facilitate inclusive consultations, and formulate a solid project strategy for the main implementation phase starting in 2025. Once the main project strategy is validated by all stakeholders, the implementation project will focus on: developing training programs and materials; training trainers; selecting and equipping EFAC sites; training approximately 1,000 young Guineans in one of 130 alumina trades; and supporting graduates in their transition to employment.
PROGRAMME PARTNERS
- Alteo Alumina
- Ministry of Technical Education, Vocational Training, and Employment (METFPE) (Lead Ministry)
- Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation (MESRSI)
- Ministry of Mines and Geology (MMG)
- Ministry of Trade, Industry, and SMEs (MCIPME)
- Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD)