The largest mining-and-infrastructure project in Africa’s history: four world-class blocks (4.4–4.6bn tonnes of ore at 65%+ Fe) split between WCS (Blocks 1 & 2, Winning International 45%, Weiqiao 35%, UMS 20%; China Baowu holds 49% of WCS’s mining and infrastructure subsidiaries and plans ~US$6bn of total investment, US$1.5bn of it in the south) and Simfer (Blocks 3 & 4, Rio Tinto with the Chinalco-led CIOH consortium), with Guinea holding 15% of each block plus an 18Mt/yr share.
The structuring documents for joint infrastructure co-development were signed in August 2023; construction of the 600–650km double-track railway (with a 552km WCS-led main line), the mine and the Morebaya deep-sea port followed. Production officially began 11 November 2025 and the first shipment, 200,000t aboard the Winning Youth, sailed for China on 2–3 December 2025, targeting a combined 120Mt/yr (60Mt north + 60Mt south) and making Guinea the world’s iron-ore exporter.
Over 30 Chinese firms took >¥220bn of contracts; the project equals nearly Guinea’s annual GDP.
Value: US$20bn+ (programme cited at US$24bn) (verified against public announcements).
Advisers: Baowu, Thiam & Associés (Conakry; Baba Hady Thiam, Managing Partner, and Amadou Barry, Counsel, among a 13-name team) and Hogan Lovells (Beijing); WCS, Norton Rose Fulbright and Kabèlè Law Group; Simfer/Rio Tinto, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Allens and ADNA; Republic of Guinea, Watson Farley & Williams (team led by Alhassane Barry (Dubai) with Jan Mellmann, Sarah Ellington, Nick Walker, Richard Stephens, Arnaud Troizier, Franck Poindessault, Romain Girtanner and colleagues); Guinea’s financial/technical advisers, Global Sovereign Advisory, CPCS, EGIS and SETEC.
Recorded by The Meridian research desk from public announcements, regulatory filings and financial press coverage. Dates and values are as publicly reported.
