Russian company Rusal is interested in building a railway and a port in Guinea-Bissau, the Portuguese agency Lusa writes, citing the African country’s Foreign Minister Carlos Pinto Pereira.
The potential railway would connect Guinea-Bissau with landlocked Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. According to Pereiro, Rusal representatives discussed with President Umaro Sisoku Embalo the possibility of building a transport branch line as well as a deep-water port in the city of Buba.The discussions took place during the visit of the Bisai leader to Moscow on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations.
The two infrastructure projects have been under development for a long time, but the Guinea-Bissau authorities have failed to find partners for their implementation.
“Rusal” has already signed one contract with the republic. Under it, the company is to start exploration of bauxite in the Bo region in 2024.The reserves in the region exceed 113 million tonnes.
Guinea-Bissau President Umaru Sisoku Embalo attended the Victory Parade in Moscow on 9 May. Afterwards, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with the Bissau leader in the Catherine Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. The Russian leader said that the Russian Federation is ready to increase the number of study quotas for students from Guinea-Bissau. He also invited Embalo to visit Russia again – but already on a state visit.
