Nimba Mining Company is formalising its governance with the appointments of Djiba Diakité as chair of the board and Patrice L'Huillier as chief executive. The company confirms, in a publication dated 25 October, two decrees dated 23 October.
Guinéenews, which reported the decisions the same evening, specifies the terms of office. The board chair is appointed for three years, renewable once. The chief executive receives a three-year mandate, renewable, governed by a performance contract signed with the Ministry of Mines and Geology.
L'Huillier was already publicly identified as chief executive before the decrees, NMC points out. His appointment therefore formalises a mandate in continuity with operational management.
An audit framework announced in September
This organisation extends a control framework announced in September. The company, wholly owned by the Guinean state, had created a directorate combining internal audit, internal control, risk management and compliance. It planned a gradual rollout, in step with the ramp-up of operations and development projects.
The head of this function reports administratively to the chief executive and functionally to the board's audit committee, with direct access to its chair. The announced framework includes a charter approved by the board and an annual audit plan validated by the committee.
Industrial and commercial commitments to deliver
The industrial stakes sit within a legal framework specified in August. NMC then announced a mining convention signed on 3 August and approved by decree. It covers the chain from bauxite extraction at Tinguilinta to export through Kamsar, as well as the tax, customs, environmental and social obligations applicable to operations.
The company said it aimed to produce 10 million tonnes of bauxite in 2026. It also announced the launch of feasibility studies for an alumina refinery with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year. These announcements describe a production target and a processing project still at the study stage.
Offtake is the subject of a separate commitment. The agreement with Glencore, signed on 7 September and then announced by NMC, provides for more than 300 million dollars in prefinancing and annual marketing of 10 to 12 million tonnes over five years. The directorate's performance contract must specify the objectives set, how they will be assessed and the obligations to transfer skills to Guinean executives.