Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) announced that its subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corp. (GAC) will end all operations in the West African country after the Guinean government seized control of its bauxite mine. In a statement issued on August 22, 2025, EGA confirmed it was terminating staff contracts and service agreements and would have no further presence or control of the facilities after Friday. The Republic of Guinea will now assume exclusive responsibility for the operation, security, and management of GAC’s former assets.
The expropriation follows months of tension between EGA and Guinea’s military-led government, which accused the Dubai-based firm of failing to fulfill commitments to build a local alumina refinery. Earlier this month, authorities transferred GAC’s lease to a new state-owned company, after having already canceled the concession agreement and suspended exports since October 2024. GAC launched production in 2019, two years later than planned, and saw output fall to 10.8 million tons in 2024, down from 14 million tons a year earlier due to repeated disruptions.
Guinea remains the world’s largest bauxite producer, a position that makes the dispute highly significant for global aluminum supply chains. While the government seeks to strengthen control over strategic resources and expand domestic value addition, the forced exit of a major foreign investor signals heightened political and operational risk. For EGA, the loss of its Guinean mine underscores the vulnerability of overseas mining assets in volatile jurisdictions, while for Guinea the challenge will be sustaining production and attracting investment under a state-controlled model.