EGA's Guinea bauxite unit hopes to resume talks with government
EGA has been in a dispute with the government since October last year when its bauxite exports and mining operations were suspended by the authorities. And earlier this month, Reuters reported it launched a process to withdraw EGA's mining licence over its failure to build an alumina refinery.
The EGA subsidiary - Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) - said in a statement that it had always fulfilled all of its obligations under agreements it signed with Guinea, and strongly contested that it has acted differently.
"GAC hopes the Guinean Government will resume amicable negotiations and lift all blocking measures against GAC's operations," the statement said.
Representatives of Guinea's military-led government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In its statement, GAC said the measures imposed by the authorities had hampered its operations, leading to their complete stoppage in December 2024 and significant financial losses for the company and its shareholders.
"Since October 2024, the Guinean Government and certain Guinean public entities have taken a series of measures against GAC (and the wider EGA group) that run counter to the contractual and international commitments of the Republic of Guinea," it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Kenyan women and likeability in the workplace: 'I felt an unspoken pressure to smile'
During a meeting at her office in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, 24-year-old Faith suddenly became nervous - reluctant to be perceived as difficult in a part of the world that does not like opinionated young had started pleasantly enough. Faith, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, had dutifully laughed along at the bad jokes made by her then a senior colleague made a suggestion that she felt would not work practically. But before Faith could express her opinion, her colleague mentioned her name."And Faith agrees with me!" The others in the meeting room turned to face her as her colleague added: "You agree, don't you?"Faith did not agree, but felt under pressure: "I didn't want to be seen as difficult or moody."I felt an unspoken pressure to smile, to be agreeable, to not be disruptive," she tells that point she was two years into her first job at a sought-after company and among the first women in her family's generation to go to university - she had so much more she wanted to achieve."How do I progress if I start disagreeing with colleagues at such a junior stage?" she is aware she faces what a Women in the Workplace 2025 report, which focuses on India, Nigeria and Kenya, calls "the broken rung". This refers to a significant barrier on the corporate ladder that has seen a steep drop in women's representation between entry-level and management in May by McKinsey, the management consultancy has for the first time expanded its annual research beyond North America and found that in these three big developing economies, women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership Kenya, women make up 50% of entry-level roles in sectors such as healthcare and financial services, but that drops to just 26% at senior levels. The pattern is similar in Nigeria and did not challenge her colleague in the meeting. She smiled and said nothing. There is now a term for her experience - experts call it "likeability labour"."[This] is a really fun name for an incredibly depressing reality," says Amy Kean, a sociologist and head of the communications consultancy Good Shout, which coined the term."It refers to the constant second-guessing, overthinking, paranoia, shape-shifting and masking women do every single day in order to be liked in the workplace."Ms Kean's UK-based study - Shapeshifters: What We Do to Be Liked at Work - which also came out in May, states that 56% of women feel pressure to be likeable at work, compared to just 36% of on a survey of 1,000 women across the UK, the report also highlights how deeply ingrained, and unequally distributed, the burden of likeability is in professional details how women often feel the need to soften their speech using minimising language, even when confident in their phrases include: "Does that make sense?" or "Sorry, just quickly..."This kind of constant self-editing, Ms Kean explains, may act as a defence mechanism to avoid being seen as abrasive or overly assertive."There is also a class element to this," she adds, in reference to the UK. "Working-class women, who are less used to modulating themselves in different settings, also get accused of being direct and also suffer in the corporate world."For many women who are not used to advocating for themselves in their personal environments, the stakes go beyond fitting in or being well-liked."It's not as simple as being popular, it's about being safe, heard and taken seriously," Ms Kean this year, she organised a summit in London for women feeling the likeability labour pressure, titled Unlikeable Woman. More than 300 women turned up to share their UK study is not an outlier. Sociologists say the pressure women feel to be likeable in order to advance professionally is a global trend. A 2024 study by the US-based recruitment firm Textio supports this. Analysing data from 25,000 individuals across 253 organisations, it found that women were much more likely to receive personality-based feedback and that 56% of women had been labelled "unlikeable" in performance reviews, a critique only 16% of men on the other hand, were four times more likely than other genders to be positively labelled as "likeable"."Women perform likeability labour for a mix of social and cultural reasons," says Dr Gladys Nyachieo, a sociologist and senior lecturer at the Multimedia University of Kenya."Women are generally socialised to be caregivers, to serve and to put the needs of others before themselves and this invariably transfers to the workplace," says Dr Nyachieo."There is a term for it in Kiswahili - 'office mathe' - or the office mother."The office mathe does additional labour to keep a workplace functioning, including making tea, buying snacks and generally being of service. I ask what is wrong with this if that is what a woman wants to do."There's nothing wrong with it," Dr Nyachieo says. "But you won't get paid for it. You will still be expected to do your work, and possibly additional work."Dr Nyachieo believes that in order to tackle likeability labour, systemic change has to happen at the root, including implementing policies that allow women flexible hours and have mentors that advocate for herself mentors several young women just starting out in Kenya's workforces."I take mentoring young women very seriously," Dr Nyachieo says. "I tell them: 'If you act pleasantly all the time, you will go nowhere. You have to negotiate for yourself'."One of her mentees is Faith."She's taught me not to feel pressure to be smiley and nice all the time," Faith says."I am working on it." You may also be interested in: The Kenyans saying no to motherhood and yes to sterilisationKenya femicide: Why men fail to condemn deadly misogynyWangari Maathai - death of a visionaryKenya's Thandiwe Muriu: Standing out in camouflageNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
NLC reject policy wey wan stop workers from going on strike in Nigeria
Di labour union for Nigeria wey be di Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) don criticise di National Industrial Relations Policy (NIRP) wey Nigeria govment recently adopt. Nigeria govment on Thursday afta di Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting bin tok say dem don adopt a new policy wey go control di way unions dey go on strike. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, na im announce di decision afta di FEC meeting on Thursday. Oga Mohammed Idris explain say di NIRP go guide trade unions, employers, and govment agencies. E go also promote beta tok-tok wey dey in line wit labour practices for Nigeria wey go also meet international standards. "Di policy na major step forward to address di long-standing gaps for how we dey manage labour relations for Nigeria," But NLC say di main aim of dis newly adopted policy na to stop di workers from going on strike, especially strikes by trade unions, as pipo dey always criticise govment for dis strikes. For statement wey di NLC President, Joe Ajaero sign, di labour union say e shock dem say out of di hundreds of workplace issues wey dey inside di National Industrial Relations Policy, di federal govment only pick out di industrial strikes sake of say na dat one dey give dem headache. "Di unfortunate press statement don expose di mindset of di pipo wey we elect to protect di interests of di ordinary citizen, including workers. NLC also para on how govment use strong-arm tactics to overturn popular decisions through a process of tripartism (three parties wia goment, employers through dia representative and workers agree on sometin) through di process of social dialogue. " NLC tok say wen dem bin dey develop di National Industrial Relations Policy for Nigeria, govment bin wan put some clauses for di policy wey go make strike actions criminal. Di statement add say di trade unions, di employers and even di representatives of govment bin reject am sake of say e no follow di 1999 Constitution and di Trade Unions Act wey give trade unions di power to withdraw dia services in line wit di law. "Di right of a worker and trade unions to withdraw dia services dey fundamental and dem no go fit remove am. Why govment remember dis policy According to NLC, di policy dey since and e cover plenti labour issues for Nigeria but govment remember to pick and adopt only di part wey relate to strike. Nigeria govment adopt am for di FEC meeting on Thursday afta di National Union of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives bin start a seven-day warning strike on Wednesday. Nigeria govment bin announce say di nurses and midwives don suspend dia strike on Friday, but di nurses deny suspension of strike, afta FG tok am. Di nurses begin strike afta dem give 15-days ultimatum to Nigeria govment.
Reuters
19 hours ago
- Reuters
Dangote appoints ex-Shell executive to lead refinery amid expansion drive
LAGOS, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Dangote Group has appointed David Bird, a former Shell executive and ex-CEO of 0Q8 refinery in Oman, as chief executive of its refinery and petrochemical division, the company said on Saturday, as it accelerates its pan-African growth strategy. Bird, whose appointment took effect on August 1, brings over three decades of industry experience, including a 14-year stint at Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab where he oversaw the $12 billion Prelude FLNG project. His appointment comes as Dangote's $20 billion refinery complex in Lagos, the world's largest single-train facility, ramps up output following its commissioning in January 2024. Nigeria's Business Day was first to report on Bird's appointment on Friday. Despite expanding output, the Lagos refinery has faced operational setbacks, including design flaws and unit upsets, prompting a shift to a more diverse crude slate. Bird said, in a LinkedIn post, that his focus would be on boosting efficiency and expanding the company's footprint across Africa. Dangote also plans to list its refining business on the Lagos and London stock exchanges, although it has not given a timeframe. Dangote, which exported 220,000 bpd in July - led by jet fuel and gasoil - according to S&P Global's Commodities at Sea Data, plans to increase the refinery's capacity to 700,000 bpd and launch a CNG-powered truck fleet to strengthen domestic distribution. Chairman Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, is also seeking regulatory approval for a deep-sea port in Ogun state to support logistics.
