Simandou 2040: A Case Study in Infrastructural Geoeconomics

Journal article

On 17 January 2026, General Mamady Doumbouya was sworn in as Guinea’s head of state, five years after taking control in a coup d’état. Since 2021, he had been facing a challenge to appease popular discontent over the state’s handling of mineral resources. His predecessor, President Alpha Condé, had attempted to develop the infrastructure necessary to exploit bauxite, alumina, gold, and iron-ore resources by requiring foreign mining companies to invest in billion-dollar projects. Yet, despite strong foreign appetite for Guinean resources, these projects failed to alleviate poverty, fuelling popular discontent and contributing to the military coup. Against this backdrop, General Mamady Doumbouya sought to solidify his legitimacy by leveraging geoeconomic competition between foreign powers over Guinea’s substantial iron-ore resources. Specifically, he targeted the Simandou 2040 project to regain economic sovereignty and create economic benefits for the broader population. As such, the project is a laboratory for African countries’ agency in the face of great powers’ geoeconomic competition.

Authors: Visentin, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Host title: A Geoeconomic Global South
• Journal: St. Antony’s International Review
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 1
• Publication date: 2026-06-14
• DOI: 10.82556/stair.v21i1.606
• Language: English