SYLLA & PARTNERS, in collaboration with an international law firm, assisted the Technical Committee for Review of Mining Conventions and Titles in reviewing mining conventions between the Government of Guinea and mining companies SEMAFO, HENAN China and the KABATA project.
As part of the revision of all mining conventions and contracts in force on Guinean territory, the Republic of Guinea, through the Technical Committee for Review of Mining Conventions and Titles, engaged international law firms to bring these legal instruments into compliance with the provisions of the 2011 Mining Code as amended in 2013.
This general review operation of mining conventions was part of an effort to modernize and harmonize the Guinean mining legal framework. The adoption of the new Mining Code in 2011, followed by its amendments in 2013, had introduced substantial modifications to the legal and tax regime applicable to mining activities in Guinea. It was therefore necessary to review existing mining conventions, negotiated under the old mining code, to bring them into compliance with the new regulatory framework.
The Technical Committee for Review of Mining Conventions and Titles was created specifically to conduct this systematic review process, ensuring a coherent and fair approach toward all mining operators. This committee brought together representatives from various Guinean administrations concerned with the mining sector.
SYLLA & PARTNERS intervened, in support of an international law firm, in the review of three strategic mining conventions: the convention with SEMAFO, a Canadian company operating a gold mine in Guinea, the convention with HENAN China, a Chinese consortium developing bauxite and alumina projects, as well as the convention relating to the KABATA project.
Our firm provided its in-depth local expertise in Guinean mining law, mobilizing our knowledge of mining law, tax law and the Guinean regulatory framework.
The services performed by SYLLA & PARTNERS included detailed analysis of existing mining conventions of SEMAFO, HENAN China and KABATA, identification of provisions non-compliant or incompatible with the 2011 Mining Code as amended in 2013, proposal of modifications and adjustments necessary to ensure compliance of these conventions with the new legal framework, advice to the Technical Committee on legal and tax aspects of convention revision, as well as participation in the Technical Committee’s work for finalization of revised conventions.
This type of assignment illustrates our ability to support Guinean authorities in operations to revise and modernize the mining legal framework, thus contributing to strengthening governance of the extractive sector in Guinea.
The SYLLA & PARTNERS team was led by Pierre Kodjo AVODE and Mohamed Sidiki SYLLA, assisted by Madigbè KABA.
To discover other advisory projects for Guinean authorities that our firm has completed, visit our references page. For any questions regarding our services in mining convention revision or regulatory compliance, please do not hesitate to contact us.