• Guinea exported 182.8 million tons of bauxite in 2025, up 25% from 2024

• The increase comes amid permit withdrawals, legal disputes, and sector reforms

• Guinea remains the world’s leading bauxite exporter since 2023

Guinea’s bauxite exports reached 182.8 million tons in 2025, up 25% from the 145 million tons recorded in 2024. Reported on January 26, by Reuters, citing an official document from the Ministry of Mines, the performance comes amid heightened tensions and ongoing reforms in the sector.

As part of a wave of mining permit withdrawals, the Guinean state terminated the mining rights of UAE-based Axis Minerals, accusing the company of failing to meet its contractual commitments. The decision is currently being challenged through international arbitration, creating uncertainty around the group’s operations. Axis Minerals had exported 16 million tons of bauxite between January and May 14, 2025, the date the permit withdrawal was announced. At the same time, another UAE company, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), has also been involved in a dispute in Guinea.

EGA had lost its mining rights due to delays in building an alumina refinery intended to process bauxite locally and had threatened legal action. Since August 2025, however, the operating rights to its mine have been transferred to Nimba Mining Company (NMC), a new state-owned enterprise created by the Guinean authorities during the year.

It was against this backdrop that Guinea’s bauxite sector evolved throughout the past year. Available information indicates that more than 20 companies continued exporting, including China’s Chalco, the Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée, a joint venture involving Rio Tinto and Alcoa, and Société minière de Boké (SMB). At this stage, no official estimate of the revenue generated has been released.

As the 2026 financial year begins, the coming months will be key to assessing how Guinea’s bauxite exports evolve, particularly with the expected contribution from Nimba Mining Company. At the same time, the country is pressing ahead with its strategy to expand local processing through the development of new alumina refineries, with the aim of maximizing mining revenues over the long term. Guinea has been the world’s leading bauxite exporter since 2023.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou