Construction of SMB-Winning Consortium Guinean Railway Breaks Ground!
President of the Republic of Guinea Alpha Condé personally in attendance at the construction ground-breaking ceremony to commence the Dapilon-Santou Railway project.This 135km-long railway, built exclusively for the mining zones, will connectthe Port of Dapilon and Santou mine zone in the Boké Region. It will fortify Guinea’s position as the world’s number one bauxite exporter and establish an industrial and agricultural economic corridor.The SMB-Winning Consortium, comprised of three nations and four parties, is devoted to forging a West African railway network and committed to contribute to the realization of the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative.
DAPILON, Boké, Guinea, March 29 – Today, Guinea finally ushers in the construction of the first modernized railway for nearly half a century, as the SMB-Winning Consortium Dapilon-Santou Railway breaks ground. President of the Republic of Guinea Alpha Condé was personally in attendance at the construction ground-breaking ceremony and initiated the Dapilon-Santou Railway project, and tens of thousands of Guinean community residents were also on-site to witness the ceremony. Distinguished guests also in attendance at the ceremony included Guinean Minister of Mines and Geology Abdoulaye Magassouba, Minister of Investments and Public-private Partnerships Gabriel Curtis and other government officials, local magistrates of the Boké Region, delegates from Chinese-funded enterprises, stakeholders of the SMB-Winning Consortium, and businesspersons and scholars of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) DBA program that were visiting and touring Guinea. Chief commander of the SMB-Winning Consortium, honorary consul of Guinea in Singapore and president of Winning International Group Sun Xiushun addressed the audience during the ground breaking ceremony.
At the railroad construction commencement ceremony, President of the Republic of Guinea Alpha Condé (pictured above, 1st on left) delivered an important speech, congratulated the ground-breaking of the railway construction, and expressed the hope that all mining enterprises may learn from the SMB-Winning Consortium, develop greenhouse canopy and tent agriculture, create copious job and training opportunities for locals, and reduce pollution in local communities. At the same time, he also called on local community residents to not be victimized by foreign investors and make sure to inform the government so that reasonable demands can be satisfied and issues can be resolved in a suitable manner.
In his speech, Abdoulaye Magassouba (pictured above), the Minister of Mines and Geology of Guinea, reviewed the development history of railway in Guinea in the past few years, “the last time our nation constructed a railroad was in 1974, I wasn’t even born yet,” he joked. The Mines and Geology Minister praised theSMB-Winning Consortium, which consists of three nations and four parties, and the remarkable contributions it has made – since 2014, the Consortium has invested one billion US dollars in mine development, a dedication that has propelled Guinea has the world-leading bauxite exporter.Minister Magassouba underscored that infrastructure facilities, in particular railroad and port, form the bedrock to the growth of Guinea, and after the completion of this three billion-dollar railroad around 2022, the expansion of the Guinean mining industry will switch into the fast lane, and the operation of the railway will also invigorate agricultural development. He expressed the wish that the local communities could support the endeavors of the SMB-Winning Consortium.
Ansoumane Counbassa (pictured above), the Mayor of the city of Kolabouyi, Boké Region, addressed the crowd and said that the SMB-Winning Consortium’s railway project will help alleviate poverty and create employment.
Sun Xiushun (pictured above), the Chief commander of the SMB-Winning Consortium, honorary consul of Guinea in Singapore and president of Winning International Group, began his speech with a recap of the feats the SMB-Winning Consortium achieved in Guinea in the past five years, then conveyed his aspiration for the future of the railway project: “The construction commencement ceremony for the Dapilon-Santou Railway demonstrates SMB-Winning Consortium’s ambition and determination of taking root in Guinea, and our love and care for this great land and its great people. This railway will not only connect Santou with the Port of Dapilon and fuel mining development in the greater Santou area, but also serves as a new starting point of a modernized Guinean railway network, and even a West African railway network, which will bolster economic progress in the African region”.At the same time, Sun Xiushun also remarked that the SMB-Winning Consortium will also uphold the framework of the railway treaty, support agricultural development in local communities and promote women’s employment. “We also have plans in the near future to start an alumina factory with one million annual production capacity, and this mandates us to cultivate a substantial number of technology improvement technicians and management personnel, which would engender local industrialization and human resource development”.
Photo of stakeholders of the SMB-Winning Consortium with the President of Guinea at the railway construction ground-breaking ceremony. From left: Chairperson of Yantai Port Group Mr. Sun Fuchun, general manager of United Mining Supply (UMS) Mr.Fadi Wazni, chairperson of Weiqiao Pioneering Group Mr. Zhang Bo, the President of the Republic of Guinea Mr. Alpha Condé and president of Winning International Group Mr. Sun Xiushun.
Information indicates that this railway (Dapilon-Santou Railway) under construction is located within the territories of the Boké and Kindia regions in northwestern Guinea, designed exclusively for the mining zones and will connect the Port of Dapilon with the Santou mine zone. Stretching for a total length of roughly 135km, the entirety of the railway will feature 23 bridges, two tunnels and six depots. The Dapilon-Santou Railway is a crucial support for the SMB-Winning Consortium’s mineral extraction and recovery operation in the Santou mining zone, as well as a vital infrastructure facility that will serve bauxite enterprises such as Chico along its route. During its early and near-future phases, the railroad will be primarily tasked with the transportation of mineral rocks from the mining zone to the Consortium Boké Harbor No. 2 (Dapilon Harbor). Farther down the road, there are hopes to open its services to third-parties, and to integrate into the Guinean national railway transport network to better serve the country’s socio-economic development.
Under the efforts of the SMB-Winning Consortium, Guinea has risen as the biggest bauxite exporting-nation in the world, and the construction of this railroad will further reinforce Guinea’s advantageous status in the global bauxite market. The SMB-Winning Consortium will also leverage on the railway to drive progress in its alumina factory and agricultural projects in order to create an industrial and agricultural economic corridor in the Boké Region.
The Guinean SMB-Winning Consortium, which consists of three nations and four parties, has answered to the call of the creation of a “community of common destiny,” proactively participates in the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative, endeavors to position the Guinean railway as a key segment and crucial node in the future international economic and trade systems, and strives to uphold the principles of safety, high quality, high efficiency and low cost in the design and construction of the Dapilon-Santou Railway, so that it may become a landmark project that will stimulate the conception and advancements of other railroads in West Africa.
SMB-Winning Consortium
The SMB-Winning Consortium is comprised of Singapore’s Winning International Group, China’s Yantai Port Group and China Hongqiao Group under Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering Group, and Guinea’s UMS. In November 2015, the SMB-Winning Consortium successfully utilized maritime transshipment platform to load up Capesize bulk carriers, which significantly reduced logistics and shipping costs. The first vessel of Guinean bauxite was safely delivered to the Port of Yantai in China, signifying a historic and momentous breakthrough. The SMB-Winning Consortium partners with Chico, French mining corporation Alliance Minière Responsable (AMR) and other companies in its mining operation. At present, the SMB-Winning Consortium has become the largest exporter of bauxite in Guinea.
The success of the project’s operation has stimulated an increase in the Guinean GDP, strengthened Guinea’s foreign exchange balance, created nearly 10,000 direct job openings and around 30,000 to 50,000 indirect employment opportunities in the country, and benefited more than 100,000 Guinean families. In order to better carry out its corporate social responsibility, the SMB-Winning Consortium has invested vast amount in communities in the mining zone, including the construction of rural roads, schools, vocational training centers, rural clinics and wells, so as to improve the well-being of local folks.