Guinea has opened its first international Simandou Mining Summit, bringing together government officials, mining companies, investors and international partners to discuss opportunities linked to the country's major iron ore project and broader economic development plans.
President Mamady Doumbouya presided over the opening ceremony on November 11 on Kassa Island, near Conakry. The summit runs through November 14 and focuses on investment opportunities and the country's ambition to move beyond exporting raw materials, Xinhua reported.
Addressing participants, Doumbouya said Guinea intended to process more of its mineral resources domestically. He pointed to the Nimba Gold Refinery, inaugurated in Conakry on November 1, and three alumina refineries under construction as examples of the country's efforts to develop local processing capacity.
The president also highlighted infrastructure developed alongside the Simandou project, including the Trans-Guinean Railway and the Morebaya mineral and commercial port. He described the mining project as a catalyst for the wider Simandou 2040 programme, which aims to diversify the economy and promote long-term socioeconomic development.
The four-day summit is expected to bring together more than 1,000 delegates, feature over 75 international speakers and facilitate more than 3,000 business meetings. Discussions cover mining, energy, agriculture, logistics, digital technology, tourism, infrastructure and local value creation.
The event comes one year after the first iron ore shipments from Simandou began on November 11, 2025. Guinea hopes the project will help turn its mineral wealth into industrial capacity, skilled employment and broader investment opportunities.
