By Salawatu Zuberu
Conakry, Guinea – Guinea’s military-led government has revoked 51 mining licences in a sweeping move aimed at reclaiming underutilised or dormant mineral concessions, in a clear signal of its intent to tighten control over the country’s vast natural resources.
Information Minister Fana Soumah announced the decision in a televised address late Thursday, revealing that interim President Mamady Doumbouya had signed a decree formally repossessing dozens of mining permits spanning key minerals, including bauxite, gold, diamonds, graphite, and iron ore.
The reclaimed concessions, Soumah said, have been “returned free of charge to the state,” citing multiple provisions of Guinea’s mining code to justify the legal grounds for the mass withdrawal.
The move comes just hours after Reuters first reported the government’s intent to cancel the licences, further fueling speculation that Conakry is consolidating control over its extractive sector.
Guinea, a resource-rich West African nation, holds the world’s largest reserves of bauxite, the essential ore used in aluminium production. Its bauxite exports are strategically vital to global supply chains, particularly in China and Russia, making developments in its mining policy significant on a global scale.
In recent years, the Guinean government has intensified scrutiny of foreign and local mining operators, accusing several of failing to commence production or underutilising assigned concessions. Among previous targets were Kebo Energy SA and Emirates Global Aluminium, whose licences were also rescinded as part of earlier reforms.
“Government pressure on Guinea’s bauxite industry is building,” said Tom Price, head of commodities at Panmure Liberum, a UK-based investment bank.
“We suspect the government is consolidating the number of foreign bauxite miners and pushing the reformed industry to invest in local downstream processing capacity.”
However, not all observers believe the revocations will have a major impact. An analyst familiar with Guinea’s mining sector, speaking on condition of anonymity, downplayed the development, noting that many of the affected entities were minor players with minimal operational impact.
The licences in question span a broad timeline—from as far back as 2005 to 2023. While some had already expired, others reportedly still had decades of validity remaining.
This aggressive policy shift reflects a broader regional trend across West Africa, where a new wave of military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have increasingly moved to renegotiate or reclaim control over mineral assets since 2020 in an effort to bolster domestic revenues and assert national sovereignty.
Guinean authorities have not yet provided details on what will happen to the reclaimed concessions or whether they plan to reallocate them to other investors under revised terms.
As Guinea reasserts control over its mineral wealth, international stakeholders and mining giants will be closely watching how these changes reshape the future of one of Africa’s most mineral-rich economies.