Who benefits from Guinea's bauxite wealth? Villagers say 'land used to sustain us'
An Al Jazeera field report examines village economies around the bauxite mines in western Guinea and the shifting livelihoods of residents. The country supplies roughly a quarter of the world's aluminium raw material. Government and industry representatives say compensation and employment policies have improved; village representatives say land rights are not yet adequately protected.
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque visited the Boké region in western Guinea, home to the country's largest bauxite reserves, and examined the shifting economic structure of villages. The report cites resident Mariama Bah saying 'the land used to sustain us; now we live amid the dust'. Guinea supplies roughly 24 percent of the world's bauxite, the principal raw material for the global aluminium industry.
Fatoumata Diawara, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Geology, said compensation payments have doubled over the past three years and that mining companies have stepped up local hiring. Mohamed Conté, a representative of the Société Minière de Boké (SMB) consortium, said in a previous statement to BBC Africa that a third-party audit process has been introduced. African adviser at the European Investment Bank Yves Boudot was quoted in the report saying 'land-allocation processes need to become more transparent'.
Mamady Doumbouya, head of Guinea's transitional council, plans to submit a new mining law to parliament in September. The draft would mandate environmental impact assessments and village consultations. Civil-society representative Ibrahima Diallo of the group 'Same Right Now' called for the process to involve Guinean civil society and international observers. This article is not investment or legal advice.
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