Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is set to pursue legal action against the Guinean government after the government wrongfully terminated an agreement with its subsidiary, Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC).
The dispute centers around the construction of an alumina refinery, which the Guinean government had demanded as part of its efforts to extract greater benefits from its vast natural resources.
EGA’s CEO, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, expressed disappointment over the government’s decision, saying, “These actions have made the continuation of GAC’s operations and the development of an alumina refinery impossible.” As a result, GAC will proceed with significant redundancies, affecting over 2,000 employees and contractors.
The Guinean government, which seized power in 2021, has been increasingly assertive in its approach to the country’s bauxite resources. Despite the government’s stricter regulations, Guinea’s bauxite exports surged 36% to a record 99.8 million metric tonnes in the first half of 2025, driven by strong demand from China.
EGA, jointly owned by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala and Dubai’s Investment Corporation of Dubai, plans to seek remedies through international tribunals.
The company had been working in Guinea for several years, and the termination of the agreement is expected to have significant implications for the country’s mining sector .