By: Wremongar B Joe II
Conakry, Guinea – With Guinea pressing ahead with the construction of a 670-kilometer Trans-Guinean Railway, expectations are growing that the country will no longer rely on neighbor Liberia for the transportation of its mineral wealth.
This is particularly its vast iron ore reserves.
The project, one of the largest railway developments in Africa, is designed to facilitate the movement of iron ore and other minerals from the Simandou mines in southeastern Guinea to a new deep-water port at Morébaya on the Atlantic coast.
The sheer scale of the investment—backed by Chinese firms, Rio Tinto, and the Guinean government—is a clear indication of a decisive shift toward domestic control of iron ore exports.
For years, mining companies operating in Guinea have lobbied for access to Liberia’s existing Buchanan-Yekepa railway as a quicker and cheaper route to global markets.
Chief among them is High Power Exploration (HPX) Inc.
(HPX) is a mining company founded by Robert Friedland. In February 2024, HPX signed a deal with the Liberian government to develop the “Liberty Corridor,” a so called $3–$5 billion infrastructure project, including a new railway from Guinea to a proposed deep-water port in Liberia.
But the company has faced scrutiny over its true intentions, transparency, and funding strategy. Critics question why it plans a new railway when ArcelorMittal Liberia has already invested heavily in upgrading the existing Yekepa-Buchanan railway. Many see HPX’s moves as an attempt to challenge AML’s contribution and use of Liberia’s rail infrastructure.
However, with Guinea’s railway project advancing rapidly, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the Guinean government will approve the use of Liberia’s infrastructure for ore transportation.
There are intense discussions that all other mining companies in Guinea, including Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée (SMFG)—whose subsidiary, High Power Exploration (HPX), has been lobbying intensely to use the Buchanan-Yekepa railway—must make similar investments by connecting rail lines to transport minerals through Guinean infrastructure instead of relying on Liberia.
Despite these hurdles, HPX has been aggressively pushing to move ore through Liberia despite having received no such approval from the current Guinean authorities.
The massive railway project will bring to life Rio Tinto’s long-held ambition of mining the world’s largest untapped supply of high-grade iron ore at Simandou.
The Anglo-Australian commodities giant hopes to bolster its position as one of the world’s biggest iron ore miners through the exploitation of the Simandou deposit, located in a remote, mountainous region of Guinea.
After years of legal wrangling and delays, the project—which could produce 2.3 billion tonnes of high-grade iron ore across its two vast deposits—is now on the brink of full-scale development.
Reports suggest Rio Tinto has informed analysts that it plans to invest up to $5.5 billion in unearthing iron ore at the Simandou site over the next two and a half years, pending a final investment decision.
Guinea’s ruling government, currently led by the military junta of Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, has emphasized self-reliance and economic nationalism.
By keeping iron ore exports within the country, the government can generate revenue from port and railway fees, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen national sovereignty over its natural resources.
The Trans-Guinean Railway is a $15 billion project connecting the Simandou iron ore mines to the new Morébaya deep-water port. It includes 670 kilometers of railway track, 12 stations along the route for operational and logistical management, 206 bridges covering a total of 79 kilometers, and four major tunnels spanning 27 kilometers to navigate Guinea’s challenging terrain.
These massive investments indicate that Guinea intends to fully integrate its iron ore supply chain within its own borders, further reducing any incentive to allow cross-border exports through Liberia.
Allowing iron ore to be transported through Liberia would mean losing control over key aspects of the export process, something the Guinean government is keen to avoid.
Moreover, Liberia’s transport infrastructure—though functional—would not provide the same level of national benefit as Guinea’s dedicated railway system.
