The SMB-Winning Consortium on Friday laid the foundation of a 130-kilometer long railway line which will connect the
The new railway line was launched in the presence of SMB-Winning consortium Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sun Xiushun, the President of the Republic of Guinea, His Excellency Professor Alpha Condé, and several members of the Guinean Government including the Minister of Mines and Geology, Mr. Abdoulaye Magassouba, and the Minister of Investment and Public-Private Partnerships, Mr. Gabriel Curtis. The launch ceremony was held in Kamikolo district, sub-prefecture of Kolaboui, Boke prefecture.
With the construction of this railway, the SMB-Winning Consortium will become one of the major players in the infrastructure and transport sector in Guinea. The consortium has already contributed to the renovation and construction of many roads, including a paved road of 16 kilometers, the construction and management of two river terminals (Katougouma and Dapilon) for the Port of Boké and now the revival of the Guinean railway sector with the new axis Dapilon-Santou.
The construction of the new railway will likely generate tens of thousands of jobs in Guinea, and benefit many Guinean companies engaged as service providers on this major infrastructure project. The SMB-Winning Consortium will work in collaboration with the Society of Environmental and Social Expertise (SEES) and the international law firm Louis Berger to ensure the CSR policy applied to the construction of this railway meets the highest international standards.
“The construction of this new rail line is a testament to Guinea’s attractiveness for mining investors,” said Abdoulaye Magassouba, Minister of Mines and Geology. “The reforms led by the government have allowed companies like the SMB-Winning Consortium to grow rapidly and place Guinea in the top three of world bauxite producers within a few years. “
“The laying of this foundation in the presence of the President of the Republic of Guinea is a testament to the win-win partnership that the Consortium has established with Guinea,” said Mr. Sun Xiushun, Chairman and CEO of the SMB-Winning Consortium. “It is through common values - mining and industrial development, content and local employment – that the Sino-Guinean friendship is illustrated by materializing through large-scale projects such as this new railway. “
The SMB-Winning Consortium has reportedly signed three conventions with the Government of the Republic of Guinea, unanimously ratified by the National Assembly in December 2018, for the realization of an integrated project for the region of Boké representing an investment of 3 billions of dollars. The agreements concern the construction of a railway line in a corridor extending from the Boffa region to the Boké region, the production and industrial exploitation of bauxite resources in the new mining areas of Santou II and Houda and the construction and operation of an alumina refinery in the Boké Special Economic Zone.
