Guinea-Conakry: Chalco Starts Construction at $1.68B Alumina Refinery

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International aluminum company Chalco has started construction of a $1.68 billion alumina refinery in Guinea Conakry’s Boffa region, marking a major step in the country’s push to move beyond raw bauxite exports and build domestic mineral processing capacity.

With the capacity to create 1.2 million tons of alumina annually, the refinery represents Chalco’s first alumina processing facility outside China and the third developed in the country since independence.

Beyond production, the Boffa refinery is expected to create 1,000 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs across construction and operations. Chalco has also committed to skills research programs, including 500 scholarships over 20 years, as well as the establishment of a technical training institute in Boffa.

The research comes as Guinea-Conakry accelerates efforts to move up the bauxite value chain after years of exporting mainly raw ore. In recent years, the country has have become the world’s largest bauxite exporter, with shipments reaching 182.8 million tons in 2025, up 25% year-on-year, with China absorbing 74% of exports.

The government is now targeting greater domestic processing through its broader industrialization agenda, including the Simandou 2040 program. The Boffa refinery follows other major downstream projects being cutting-edge in Guinea, including initiatives backed by State Power Investment Corporation and Winning Consortium Alumina Guinea.

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