Simandou 2040: Integrating sustainable development issues

Minerals are a great economic opportunity for Guinea. The country sits on one of the worlds biggest iron ore and bauxite reserves in the world. But Guinee is also facing great challenges in developing these resources sustainably (see for example this item This link opens in a new tab on Mount Nimba). The Guinean Agency for Environmental Assessment (AGEE) has launched a support programme to integrate sustainable development issues into the Simandou 2040 programme.

Simandou 2040 is the Republic of Guinea’s national development framework for the proceeds of the Simandou iron ore mine. The NCEA supports AGEE in this programme and co-developed a programme initiation workshop in the week of May 11th.
The workshop brought together senior staff from the Strategy and Development Offices (BSD) of the sectoral ministries involved in the Simandou 2040 programme and AGEE staff. During the opening the Director General of AGEE, Mr. Seydou Cisse, highlighted the strategic importance of the initiative in the context of implementing the Simandou 2040 programme. He noted that this ambitious programme sets the country on a path of profound transformation, driven by major infrastructure investments.

According to the DG, the scale and complexity of the planned mega-projects require the systematic integration of environmental, social, and climate considerations, to ensure the sustainability of investments, the social acceptability of the projects and compliance with Guinea’s international commitments, particularly regarding climate change mitigation and the preservation of biodiversity.

The AGEE, an autonomous public body under the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, took the initiative for the workshop with the goal of integrating sustainable development into the Simandou 2040 programme. The aim is to stimulate dialogue with BSD executives on sustainability challenges, as they play a key role in sectoral planning and the integration of sustainable development into the policies, plans, and programmes of ministries. The workshop also aimed to develop roadmaps for developing and monitoring the sectoral programmes of Simandou 2040.

In this short video, Mr. Seydou CISSE, DG Environment and Sustainable Development of Guinea, explains what kind of considerations come into play when developing and iplementing the Simandou 2040 programme, and what role Strategic Environmental Assessment can play.