Guinea, the world's largest bauxite producer, will unveil export controls in June to address a supply glut that has driven prices down nearly 50% since early last year. Mines and Geology Minister Bouna Sylla said shipments jumped 25% to 183 million tons in 2025, overwhelming demand and depressing the market. The government aims to regulate quantities and lift prices to reasonable levels.

Most of Guinea's bauxite flows to China, fueling the country's aluminum industry. Sylla emphasized that mining investors benefit from higher prices, making supply management a shared interest. This move follows similar export restrictions by the Democratic Republic of Congo on cobalt and Zimbabwe on lithium, as African nations seek to capture more value from their mineral wealth.

Guinea is pushing mining companies to build local processing facilities, with three alumina refineries already planned or under construction. Aluminum Corp. of China and Winning International Group are among those developing these projects. The country targets five new refineries with combined annual capacity of 7.2 million tons of alumina, though this would still process less than 15% of its bauxite output.

The export controls signal Guinea's broader strategy to move up the value chain from raw ore exports to processed aluminum production. While the immediate goal is price stabilization, the long-term objective involves attracting investment in smelters and reducing dependence on commodity exports.