Green Mineral Profile

Bauxite

Overview

Overview

Africa holds a significant position in the global bauxite market, with Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique collectively accounting for at least one-third of the world's proven bauxite reserves. Guinea is the foremost bauxite producer in Africa, with 7.4 million metric tons of reserves in 2021, representing 24% of global reserves. In the same year, Guinea was the third-largest bauxite producer globally, contributing 86 million tons or 22% of the world's total production. Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Mozambique also have notable bauxite mining operations, with significant export volumes recorded in recent years.

Overview

Bauxite reserves

Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mozambique are the top four bauxite exporting countries in Africa, together accounting for at least one-third of the world’s proven bauxite reserves.

Guinea is the leading African countries involved in bauxite production. Guinea accounted for 7.4 million metric tons of bauxite reserves in 2021, which represented 24% of total global bauxite reserves.

Guinea
0 %
Share of global reserves
(7,400,000 metric tons)

Bauxite production

  • Guinea was the third largest producer of bauxite in 2021, with a production of 86,000 tons representing 22% of global bauxite production.
  • Sierra Leone also has a significant bauxite mining operation and exported about 1.73Mt of the ore in 2019.
  • Ghana is the continent’s third-largest bauxite exporter with 1.4Mt in 2019.
  • Mozambique is the fourth-largest bauxite exporter in Africa with 8,870 tons in 2019.
Guinea
0 %
Share of global production
(86,000 tons)
Pattern

Major bauxite
mining projects

Guinea Guinea

The Sangaredi site operates as an open-cut mine, encompassing various activities such as stripping, drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling. Ownership: Rio Tinto Group 22.95%, Guinean Government 49%, Alcoa 22.95%, Dadco Investments Limited 5.1%. The brownfield mine produced an estimated 14.28 million tons per annum (mtpa) of bauxite in 2023.

The Boffa Bauxite Mine is a surface mine situated in Boke. Owned by Aluminum of China, the greenfield mine produced an estimated 13.5 mtpa of bauxite in 2023.

Located in Boke, the GAC Mine is owned by Emirates Global Aluminium P. The surface mine produced an estimated 11.97 mtpa of bauxite in 2023.

Located in Boke, the SMB-Winning Boke Bauxite Mining Project is owned by Winning International Group. The surface mine produced an estimated 32.02 mtpa of bauxite in 2023.

Main export destinations

Main export destinations

In 2020, Guinea contributed to 55% of the total global exports of bauxite, with China being the primary recipient.

Main export destinations

Processing capacity and value-addition initiatives

The Guinean government is currently urging multinational mining companies to increase in-country downstream processing capabilities for the refinement of bauxite into aluminium oxide. The latter holds a market value six to seven times higher than that of raw bauxite. Presently, Guinea's sole aluminium oxide refinery has the capacity to refine less than 3% of its annual bauxite production. Consequently, in 2024, the Guinean government mandated foreign mining firms operating in Guinea to formulate specific plans for the expansion of local refining capacity.

Increasing refining capacity in Guinea is a highly energy-intensive endeavour, posing significant challenges, particularly due to the inadequacy of Guinea's power grid. Despite having substantial hydropower potential at the headwaters of the Gambia, Niger, and Senegal Rivers, the mining sector currently relies on generators powered by diesel and heavy fuel oil. To address this, there is a shift towards exploring natural gas-fed power development to meet the anticipated demand.

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