Guinea has selected Glencore Plc as the exclusive offtaker for bauxite produced by state-owned Nimba Mining Co., tightening state control over exports of the aluminium ore.

The Anglo-Swiss commodity giant was chosen through an international tender, Mines and Geology Minister Bouna Sylla said in an interview in the capital, Conakry.

Nimba Mining, wholly owned by the Guinean state, was created in August 2025 to take over the bauxite concession formerly held by Guinea Alumina Corp., a subsidiary of Dubai-based Emirates Global Aluminium.

The previous operator forfeited the licence following a dispute over plans to build an alumina refinery.

Sylla said the government aims to build Nimba Mining into a national mining champion. “Talks to finalise the terms of the contract are ongoing,” the minister stated.

Nimba Mining has already shipped 4 million tons of bauxite so far this year. The company expects to increase that figure to between 8 million and 10 million tons by year-end, before ramping up to 12 million tons in 2027.

Guinea, the world’s largest bauxite exporter, shipped 182.8 million tons of the sedimentary rock in 2025 — a 25% jump from the previous year. China received 74% of those exports.

That heavy concentration has prompted the government to seek greater oversight of export flows to protect against potential price slumps.

Beyond bauxite, Nimba Mining is expanding into iron ore, gold and metals refining. One of its ventures, Nimba Gold, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Resolute Mining Ltd. to jointly develop gold projects, Sylla said, with exploration to begin before production is phased in.

Nimba Mining signed its bauxite mining contract with the government earlier this week. Glencore declined to comment on the offtake deal.