SYLLA & PARTNERS assisted the Government of the Republic of Guinea in negotiating agreements with the SMB Consortium relating to the construction and operation of a mine in the Boffa region, a multi-user railway of 130 kilometers from the mines to the port of Dapilon and an alumina refinery with a minimum capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year. The total investment amount is estimated at 6 billion US dollars.
This major project constitutes one of the most important industrial investments in Guinea, combining mining operations, industrial transformation of bauxite into alumina and development of world-class transport infrastructure. The SMB Consortium, already active in bauxite mining in Guinea, sought to extend its operations to include local transformation of bauxite into alumina, thus creating substantial added value for the Guinean economy.
The unique feature of this project lies in its integrated nature and the construction of a 130-kilometer multi-user railway. This railway infrastructure will not be exclusively reserved for the SMB Consortium but can be used by other mining operators, thus creating shared infrastructure benefiting the entire mining sector in the Boffa region.
Three different agreements were negotiated by the government with our assistance: a mining convention governing the operation of the bauxite mine, a railway agreement defining the terms for construction and operation of the multi-user railway, and a refinery agreement establishing the legal and fiscal framework for the construction and operation of the alumina refinery.
Our firm provided comprehensive legal assistance to the Government of Guinea throughout this complex negotiation process, mobilizing our expertise in mining law, infrastructure and tax law.
The services performed by SYLLA & PARTNERS as counsel to the Government of Guinea included the legal structuring of the integrated project, negotiation and drafting of the mining convention, railway agreement and refinery agreement, preparation of periodic memos presenting to government negotiators the strategic issues and positions to be defended, as well as active participation in negotiation sessions with representatives of the SMB Consortium.
This type of project illustrates our firm’s ability to support the Government of Guinea in negotiating complex multi-component mining and industrial projects, ensuring the protection of the State’s interests while creating an attractive framework for large-scale investments.
The SYLLA & PARTNERS team was led by Pierre Kodjo AVODE and Mohamed Sidiki SYLLA, partners, assisted by Alpha Modou Sampil, Madigbè KABA and Watta KAMANO.
To discover other major integrated projects that our firm has completed in Guinea, visit our references page. For any questions regarding our services in negotiating integrated mining projects, please do not hesitate to contact us.