Industrial policy and supply chains
2026-04-26
10 minute read
18 sources
West Africa iron ore 2026: Simandou first ore, ArcelorMittal Liberia, and the rail port economics that decide the corridor
Simandou begins shipping in late 2025 and ramps to 60 mtpa by 2028. ArcelorMittal Liberia is rebuilding the Yekepa to Buchanan corridor toward 30 mtpa. The two projects, plus Marampa in Sierra Leone, will reset the 65 percent Fe seaborne pool that China's electric arc furnace transition needs.
Simandou in southeast Guinea holds 2.4 billion tonnes of high grade iron ore at roughly 65 percent Fe, the largest untapped deposit of its quality in the world. The Simfer joint venture (Rio Tinto 53 percent, Winning Consortium Simandou 47 percent across blocks 1 and 2, with Chinalco and Baowu participating) committed USD 11.6 billion in ...