Alliance Minière Responsable (AMR) is the first French company to invest in the Guinean Bauxite sector, two decades after the departure of the aluminium conglomerate Pechiney. AMR is mostly known as the company who wants to “do mining differently”, aiming to develop sustainable mining projects in Africa respecting both the environment and the local communities.
The company just completed its environmental and social impact studies, supported by the National Observatory of the Republic of Guinea and the Guinean Environmental Assessment Office (BGEE). The co-founders Romain Girbal and Thibault Launay are now about to make application to the Guinean government for a mining permit, after three years of intensive work dedicated to the development of a virtuous Bauxite mining project.
Partner with local organisations
Committed to fully embody its responsible dimension, the company focused on partnering with local organisations, such as the Higher Institute of Geology and Mining of Boké (ISMBG) and the Vocational Training Center of Boké (CFP). Those partnerships allowed the welcoming of interns, the organisation of teaching classes given by managers of the company, the training of the teaching staff as well as the loan of instructional equipment. As a result, Alliance Minière Responsable received in July several certificates of satisfaction thanking 4 of its employees and associates for their engagement to “improve [their] theoretical and practical classes for the benefit of [their] students”, the Deputy Director of the Institute Mr Mohammed Boundou Camara asserted.
Support the development of the local cultural heritage
On the cultural side, Romain Girbal and Thibault Launay decided to support the Museum of Boké, a historic landmark in West Africa with a strong development and influence potential. To address the lack of resources hindering its fulfilment, AMR made available to the Museum of Boké its own staff in order to restore the cleanliness of the main building of the museum. The mining company also committed to reinvigorate the cultural and event prospects of the museum and initiated in June 2016 a meeting between the Curator of the Museum of Boké and the Director of the Petit Musée de Conakry, the latter having successfully set up an inspiring process of expansion and development in the region.
Commit to socially integrated programmes
Alliance Minière Responsable also committed to the issues of social integration of mining projects and supported several programmes including:
- The Initiative for Responsible Mining Development (IDMR) launched by the Ministry of Geology and Mines based on financing by the World Bank Group
- The initiative of GIZ (German Cooperation) aiming at creating a platform for exchanges and debates bringing together mining companies, the State and representatives of the Civil Society
- The project of Support for Improving the Governance of Mining Royalties supervised by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with Charente-Maritime Cooperation and intended for Boké and Bofa provinces.
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The project could create between 400 and 500 jobs in the flourishing bauxite extraction industry of Guinea. The funds raised by Romain Girbal and Thibault Launay allowed AMR to achieve a successful exploration campaign, with a potential of over 430 million tons of high quality bauxite, in a region said to own 2/3rd of the world reserves.