GAC inaugurates its commercial wharf in Kamsar

GAC inaugurates its commercial wharf in Kamsar

Kamsar, 20 October 2016 --- The mining company Guinea Alumina Corporation S.A. (GAC), a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), inaugurated on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, its new container terminal in Kamsar. The inauguration was presided by President Alpha Condé in the presence of several officials as well as GAC officials.

This new container terminal is an important infrastructure that will allow ships carrying up to 10,000 tonnes to import the construction materials needed in Kamsar for the railway, the road and other major construction works and it will also unlock other regional opportunities not only for bauxite exports but also for agricultural products. It will act as a pillar and catalyst for the development of the Boké corridor .

With a significant investment of more than $ 1 billion, this project will be one of the largest greenfield investments for new facilities in Guinea in the last forty (40) years. We expect the workforce for our project to reach an estimate of about 4,000 direct and indirect jobs during the first phase of the project in the Boké region. 

The project will increase Guinea's GDP by more than 10 percent a year, and consolidate Guinea's position as the world's largest exporter of bauxite, thereby raising the country's foreign income level. Commercial production of the GAC mine is scheduled for 2018, and construction of the refinery will follow afterward.

During this inauguration ceremony, the ,, praised the achievements of this company and promised that his government will now work to lower taxes on mining companies in order to attract other mining investors in the country .

"I invite GAC to promote youth employment but also urge young people to develop their skills. Today Guinea is taking off economically thanks to these companies. We will make sure there are less taxes for other companies to arrive, "promised President Alpha Condé. In his speech, he confessed that if the GAC Project is doing better today, it is thanks to good cooperation between Guinea and the United Arab Emirates.

"In 2010, the GAC project was not taking off. Today, it is doing well thanks to the cooperation with the United Arab Emirates. If you want to start the refinery in 2022, I will suggest you bring back the start date to 2020, "said the Head of State, to the officials of Guinea Alumina Corporation.

In his speech, Mr. Abdulla Kalban (CEO of the EGA Group) said “the Kamsar container terminal will open the doors to trade and give a boost to the Guinean economy by supporting the development of SMEs and the agricultural sector. "We are determined to promote nationalization. and More than 200 Guineans will be trained in our facilities in the United Arab Emirates to return and contribute to this project," he promised.

According to him, the Company intends to promote youth employment, through training and skills development which has already started. The CEO of EGA has promised that GAC will help promote local SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

Since the takeover of the GAC project in 2013 by Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), several projects have been carried out to help ensure that the living standard of the communities in the Boké region are enhanced and it will continue to support local communities that are around its operations.

To date, GAC's areas of operation include those of local community development. The company has built by (five health posts ), provided safe drinking water through the construction of26 wells built, built primary and secondary schools that beenfit more than 5,500 children, provided vocational training (around 500 young people trained to date at the Boké Training Center) and the development of Small and Medium Enterprises, thousands of beneficiaries have participated on the adult literacy program and the financial support for income-generating activities as well as investments in the protection of the environment and biodiversity.

The parent company Emirates Global Aluminum ("EGA") is one of the world's leading aluminum companies with interests in bauxite / alumina and primary aluminum smelting. EGA's two operating sites in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (UAE) currently produce 2.4 million tonnes of primary aluminum per year.

GAC is fully committed to building a future of hope, opportunity and pride for Guinea.