Top bauxite producer Guinea to unveil export controls in June

Guinea, the leading global bauxite producer, plans to announce reforms next month to control bauxite exports used for aluminium production. Bauxite shipments rose to 183 million tons in 2025 and increased further in early 2026, contributing to a market downturn and a near-halving of prices from a peak earlier last year. The Mines and Geology Minister said supply should not exceed demand and that export quantities will be regulated to raise prices to reasonable levels. Guinea expects to finalize the policy in June and is also pushing mining investors to build alumina refineries. Several facilities are planned or under construction, with companies including China’s State Power Investment and Aluminum Corp of China involved. The government aims for five new refineries to increase local processing and capture more value.

"“Supply mustn't exceed demand,” Mr Sylla told Bloomberg News in an interview. “We want to regulate the quantity to raise prices back to reasonable levels.”"

"Bauxite shipments from Guinea, which accounts for more than a third of global production, surged by a quarter to 183 million tons in 2025, before growth accelerated further during the first three months of this year. That contributed to a market downturn, according to the West African nation's Mines and Geology Minister Bouna Sylla, with prices slumping by almost a half from a peak early last year."

"The government expects to finalise the new policy, first flagged a few months ago, in June, the minister said. Mining investors “have an interest in seeing prices rise”, Mr Sylla added. Guinea's initiative follows moves by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe to restrict exports of cobalt and lithium, respectively, which are mainly shipped to China's dominant battery industry."

"Guinea is pushing miners to build refineries capable of producing alumina, with three facilities already at the planning stage or under construction to add to the country's single existing plant. China's State Power Investment, Aluminum Corp of China and a consortium headed by Singapore-registered Winning International Group are developing those refineries, which will process some of the bauxite produced at their operations in the country."

Read at Irish Independent