Guinea Inaugurates Simandou Iron Complex With Great Pomp
On 11 November 2025, Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya officially inaugurated the #Simandou Iron Ore Complex, Africa’s largest iron ore mining project and associated railway infrastructure. Several dignitaries, including Gabonese President Brice Nguema, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Chinese Vice Premier LIU Guozhong, attended the much-awaited ceremony. Other partners, such as Winning International Group Chairman SUN Xiushun and China Baowu Group Chairman HU Wangming, were also present.
A few weeks before the commissioning, the Project experienced some controversy as the Government of Guinea rejected Chinese locomotives. As per the contract, the locomotives had to be Wabtec ones with defined specifications. By not compromising on lower-quality Chinese products, Guinea signals that it is taking a long-term view on the development of its core asset and will enforce the terms of the contract, which was painstakingly negotiated.
As a strategic project with global reach, the Simandou Complex is guided by the Simandou 2040 Master Plan. The Project has the potential to transform the economy of Guinea by adding up to 30% to its #GDP within the coming decade as production ramps up to full speed. The Project has an annual production capacity of 120 million tonnes.
Guinea ambitions to be more than a mere exporter of raw ore. Other than extraction, the Project involved the construction of a 670-km railway line and a deepwater bulk Morebaya port, near Forecariah. Simandou 2040 has already made provisions for a refinery and power plant to power the smelting process, while gradually increasing local content.
“The stable supply of Simandou’s premium iron ore resources will provide a solid foundation of low-carbon raw materials for the development of China’s steel industry and the global steel sector.”
Baowu Group Chair HU Wangming
Discovered 28 years ago by Rio Tinto, Simandou has proven reserves of 3.3 billion tonnes of high-grade iron ore with a concentration averaging above 65%. After decades of talks, the Simandou Complex was divided into two parts: North Side and South Side. The northern blocks went to the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), while the southern blocks went to the SimFer consortium. Interestingly, China has stakes in both consortia.
China is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of iron and steel products, although domestic demand has cooled down due to the housing crisis. Previously, China imported iron ore mostly from Australia and Brazil. With the operationalization of Simandou, China expects to have greater control over the sourcing and pricing of iron ore.