In the morning heat of Boffa, the villagers and the fishermen who work in the fields and the waters are not in their usual places.Above them, the country’s military helicopter cuts through the hot air and comes from the capital Conakry. Seated on board, the Prime Minister, Minister of Mines and international mining leaders are on their way to land where the Prime Minister will describe as “the only real Guinean mine in the country, run by Guineans for Guineans” in his speech in the next hour.
On site, elders, villagers and honorary visitors from Chinese mines and expatriates are gathered for the ceremony.
The ceremony is not only for the grand reopening of the mine on this day of March 3, 2023. It also marks the end of the nightmare and the suffering that Guinea and the world have suffered in two years of restrictions linked to Covid. 19 and which threatened the existence of so many lives and mines in the region.
This is not a Chinese mine, operated without regard for the environment, but rather the Bel Air mine.
The importance of this mine does not only lie in the mining itself. But as the Minister of Geology described in his opening speech, it is a mine “which directly employs more than 700 Guineans” and whenever it is not in operation, it makes losses . Which is a considerable shortfall for the state coffers.
This importance is not lost on the international scene. Evidenced by the commitment of investors and the hard work of expatriate staff who live on site alongside the vast Guinean team.
The Bel Air mine goes further in terms of responsibility and exemplary behavior. What other mine in Guinea would spend two million dollars a year to safeguard the community, engage local villagers and employ consultants to protect the vitality and environmental well-being of the surrounding area?
With this ceremony, a new era has begun for the mine and a new breath of life has been breathed into the region. From the nightmare of the COVID 19 pandemic, Bel Air has risen like a phoenix. And even during the period when there was neither production nor income, these executives and investors, under the care of the Minister of Mines and His Excellency the President, continued, despite enormous losses, to pay salaries for all staff and management. For two years, hope was kept in their hearts that normalcy would return.
This beacon of light and management genius set an example that all businesses should follow.
But it is shameful to believe that in this projected light there would be a shadow. Not because of the trauma caused by the global pandemic and lockdown. But rather because of an idea that the easy life would continue.
We then heard noise generated for some time by certain members of management, in particular Saidou Bah who alleges that this savior of the nation that is Bel Air Mining was not managed correctly, and was not honest when it comes to managing finances. Through the collection of our diligent investigators and staff, we were further surprised and saddened to find that this executive did not think about the well-being of the mine or his country. He only thought of his own interest and above all his financial gain.
As the first Guinean manager of the Bel Air mine, he used his network of childhood friends, his authority and position and the weakness of the restart project to inject paralysis through his mismanagement.
It appeared that, like a great puppeteer, he allowed entrepreneurs to whom he gave complacent service contracts such as catering, to freeze company funds, to prohibit trucking movements… All this, to forcing management to make extra-contractual payments for contracts in which rates are well beyond the norm. Its goal, according to a service provider, is to receive kickbacks.
For example, as the Bel Air mine launched tenders for marine services and dredging, Saidou Bah’s voice could be heard expressing his opposition to this practice which is yet the industry standard for choosing the cheapest offer.
In June, maritime conditions caused one of Bel Air’s vessels carrying bauxite to capsize. As the management tried to rectify the situation and the Government and the authorities compiled their reports on the possible losses inflicted on the region and the fishermen, Mr. Bah’s voice could not be heard.
Through one of our contacts, we discovered that he alleged that he had spent weeks waiting for the minister to receive it. In reality, he was the one who remained unavailable.
To this day, commissioned press articles still exist. In which articles his allegations resemble the complaints of a spoiled child being punished; pointing the finger at others, especially expatriates, when it is his responsibility which is called into question in such an accident.
For the international executives and the Minister of Mines, their work was the example of the professional standard and legal responsibility that Mr. Bah should have followed.
The Bel Air mine and its international investors, in discussion and planning with the Ministry, have paid the Government’s demand to pay in full the largest fine and financial settlement ever issued by a company in Guinea since independence. This happened and despite this we continue to hear the voice of anger that this sum was paid under darker circumstances. In reality, this fine was paid directly to the government, and is the exact amount imposed on the mine. How could such allegations be made by the former director who did not even have the courtesy to attend the disciplinary hearing?
Unfortunately, there was a hidden motive. This is why Mr. Saidou Bah was notified of his dismissal.
In this context marked by all the shortcomings to his credit, the freezing of the company’s accounts, the failure of his entrepreneurial friends to provide adequate service, Mr. Bah had the courage to ask for a bonus in return for his dismissal. 3 years of incredibly high international salary with a 30% bonus.
However, if we want to succeed, and continue to move forward with our international partners, to build a nation of which we have always been proud, we must ask our leaders, our elders and our hard-working citizens to give example to others and to the international community so that we think of the greater good. We need to think about society as a whole, not our individual gain.
Despite everything, Bel Air is producing again, the waters are free of debris and the ships are returning. All this, thanks to the ability of the minister, but also that of the executives and leaders of this nation who look beyond the noise and dust caused by those who cannot see the bright future that lies ahead for the Guinean people.
For Mr. Saidou Bah, his future will be determined by the courts which are to hear criminal charges of blackmail and corruption surrounding years of failing leadership under his service as director of Bel Air Mining.