Guinea eyes stricter bauxite supply rules to arrest price slump

Guinea, the world’s largest producer of bauxite, is in discussions with miners about plans to control the volume of ore supplied to the market and protect the country against a slump in prices.

If implemented, the measures – outlined by Mines and Geology Minister Bouna Sylla – would see Guinea follow the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe in restricting exports of key minerals that are mostly destined for China.

“The policy aims to regulate bauxite production to prevent a price drop and, consequently, a decrease in company revenues and tax for the government,” Sylla said in an interview. The government held discussions on the matter with the umbrella body of miners on March 12, he said.

Bauxite prices – a raw material that’s turned firstly into alumina and then into aluminum – have almost halved since early 2025. Guinea’s exports soared by more than a quarter last year to 183 million tons, with most of the ore transported to Chinese refineries.

Guinea’s move would inject additional uncertainty into the aluminum industry which is already navigating disruptions to smelters in the Middle East, which account for about 9% of the world’s output, caused by the war in the region.

The West African nation is pushing investors not to exceed production levels defined in their mine plans and government agreements, according to Sylla. “The decision will take effect in the coming weeks and aims to align 2026 production and exports with what is outlined in the feasibility studies,” he said.

Societe Miniere de Boke – whose shareholders include China Hongqiao Group and Singapore-registered Winning International Group – was Guinea’s biggest exporter of bauxite last year, shipping 71.5 million tons. Mines operated by Aluminium Corp. of China and Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee, which is co-owned by Rio Tinto Group, were the second and third largest producers.

Congo and Zimbabwe are important players in China’s dominant battery industry as the world’s top supplier of cobalt and No. 4 producer of lithium, respectively. Congo blocked cobalt exports in early 2025 to support prices, before imposing strict quotas from October. Zimbabwe last month suspended shipments of lithium concentrate as it pressures Chinese miners to accelerate the construction of local processing plants.

Guinea is also keen for more bauxite to be refined into alumina domestically. “The criteria the country intends to implement are objective and include on-site ore processing,” Sylla said.

The government last year cancelled a bauxite mining license held by a unit of Emirates Global Aluminum and transferred the concession to a state-owned firm, alleging the company had failed to honor a commitment to build an alumina refinery.

“We are not banning exports but we want to regulate bauxite production and exports,” he said.

(By Ougna Camara and William Clowes)