Guinea: Mineral Resources Return to State Control
The Guinean government has yanked 129 mining licenses, focusing primarily on gold but also touching on diamonds and bauxite. This action isn't a whim; it's part of a sweeping sector clean-up and mining cadaster audit aimed at reasserting control over the nation's precious resources.
Enter General Mamadi Doumbouya, the military bigwig who seized power in 2021 and booted the previous president from his job. The cancellations are meant to rein in national resources, especially those lying beneath the earth's crust. AngloGold Ashanti, a mighty British gold mining titan, is one of the big-time offenders. The Guinean government plans to woo new investors into the extraction industry, with the hard-nosed companies whose licenses were revoked eligible to partake in tenders.
The revoked licenses aren't suspended time-outs; they're full-blown cancelations due to inactivity, non-compliance, or outdated status. Some permits already expired, with dates ranging from 2012 to 2024. The Guinean Mining Code, the government's legal weapon of choice, limits exploration permits to two renewals, each lasting four years. If no feasibility study is submitted within that period, the permit becomes null and void, ripe for the cancelling.
Adding fuel to the fire, Endeavour Mining had four gold exploration permits axed in a recent round of removals in May 2025, the government's persistent crusade to oust inactive or non-compliant mining operations from the roster.
In essence:
- Guinea axed 129 mining exploration permits in May 2025 to assert control and tidy up its mining sector.
- The cancellations included permits from AngloGold Ashanti, who had expired permits reclaimed by the state.
- Other companies on the chopping block included Endeavour Mining among possible others with inactive or expired licenses.
- The government opted for a digital mining permit system to improve supervision.
- Permits may be taken and used by new investors post-audit.
The bottom line: Guinea is clamping down on its mining sector oversight through a systematic mining cadaster evaluation and revocations of non-compliant mining licenses.
The Guinean government revoked 129 mining exploration permits in May 2025, targeting non-compliant companies such as AngloGold Ashanti and Endeavour Mining, whose licenses were deemed expired or inactive. As a step towards asserting control, improving supervision, and tidying up the mining sector, Guinea implemented a digital mining permit system and plans to offer the revoked permits to new investors post-audit.
