Item 1 of 5 Mining vehicles operate at the blocks three and four of the Simandou mine, one of the largest high-grade iron ore deposits, run by Rio Tinto and partners’ joint venture, SimFer, in the Nzerekore Region, Guinea November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Luc Gnago/File Photo
[1/5]Mining vehicles operate at the blocks three and four of the Simandou mine, one of the largest high-grade iron ore deposits, run by Rio Tinto and partners’ joint venture, SimFer, in the Nzerekore… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
Shift to operational phase raises risk of poverty and unrest
Guinean authorities plan infrastructure projects to absorb displaced workers
Big layoffs in mining are common once construction completed, but the impact in Guinea is severe
SIMANDOU, Guinea, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Guinea’s Simandou mega mining project, promoted by the military government as a symbol of the country’s economic transformation, is laying off thousands of workers just as it begins exporting iron ore after decades of delays and corruption scandals.
Simandou was officially launched with pomp and a public holiday in November, ahead of elections on December 28, the first since the military coup in 2021 that brought Mamady Doumbouya to power.
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The junta leader is standing for president and political analysts say he is the favourite to win, meaning he could be in power for another seven years.
Even without Simandou, the world’s largest untapped reserve of iron ore, Guinea is the world’s biggest exporter of bauxite, used to make aluminium. Its mining wealth, however, has failed to transform for the better the lives of many of its people.
World Bank data published in 2025 showed more than half the population lived in poverty.
Reuters interviewed a dozen workers and former employees, as well as some senior company sources. Asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, they said the process of sacking thousands of workers had begun and that the impact was likely to be more severe than in the case of comparable mining projects.
It is a bitter disappointment for those who hoped their lives would be improved for the long term by Simandou’s ambitions to produce around 120 million metric tons of iron ore annually, or around 7% of global demand.
