A dream forged in iron: The Simandou story with Aboubacar Koulibaly and Ismael Diakité
The Simandou project in Guinea is the largest greenfield integrated mine and infrastructure project in development in Africa. Unlike mining’s traditional “pit to port” model, Simandou promises to touch every region of the country, bringing development to hitherto neglected communities and transforming Guinea into a key player in the global steel industry.
Kicking off Voices of Africa in 2025, Aboubacar Koulibaly and Ismael Diakité reveal details of this monumental project dubbed the backbone of Guinea’s economy and progress towards production of first ore in November 2025.
Produced by Africa Practice, in partnership with the African Minerals Development Centre and the Investing in African Mining Indaba.
Projects of this scale are not only defined by their size but also by their profound impact on people, biodiversity, and the land, making them both complex and significant. – I. Diakité
In this episode
00:00 Welcome to Voices of Africa
00:36 Meet the experts
01:30 Understanding the Simandou project
06:47 Railway construction progress
11:21 The significance of the Trans-Guinean Railway
15:14 Economic diversification beyond mining
18:38 CTG: A novel structure for collaboration
23:01 Navigating complex negotiations
29:01 The Power of political will
30:07 Navigating cultural complexities
32:11 Personal reflections on Simandou
34:06 The impact of the project on Guinea
39:01 A Vision for the Future
41:10 Looking ahead to Mining Indaba 2025
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