The Republic of Guinea holds one third of the world's best bauxite reserves, which contain a high extractable alumina content (45-60%) and a silica level below 2%.
Bauxite production on Guinean territory began in the 1930s on Tamara Island and continued in the 1950s on the Loos Islands by the Société des Bauxites du Midi, a French company.
On 1 October 1963, the Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée (CBG) was created, with a shareholding composed of the Guinean state (49%) and the Harvey Aluminium consortium (51%), which included the firms Alcoa (United States), AlCan (Canada) and Péchiney (France).
To optimise the CBG's contribution to national development, the Government will establish the Office d'aménagement de Boké (OFAB) which will build and manage the infrastructure required for ore production, including industrial handling and processing facilities, a railway and modern housing estates at Kamsar and Sangarédi.
Bauxite exports started in 1973, with the first ship, the Coronia, leaving the port of Kamsar on 2 August 1973 with 19,000 tons on board.
Since then, CBG has undergone considerable industrial development, which today makes it a key player in the global bauxite market.
