Guinea: Independent advice on Resettlement Action Plan

23 May 2024

Responding to a request from the Guinean Agency for Environmental Assessment (AGEE), the NCEA provided independent advice on the resettlement and compensation action plan (RCAP) for the Simandou project, Africa's largest iron mine, located in southeastern Guinea.

The NCEA visited the most affected communities, Moribadou and Foma, conducting public hearings and focus group discussions with youth, women, and the elderly. Consultations were also held with local and regional authorities and the mine promoter, Rio Tinto SimFer. These consultations, along with a desk review, offered crucial insights into the RCAP's adherence to national and international standards.

The RCAP had several commendable aspects. The NCEA welcomed the company’s compliance with IFC standards. Key elements of the planning process, such as household surveys, inventory of assets affected by resettlement, eligibility criteria, and the management, monitoring, and evaluation framework, were relatively well-implemented. The RCAP also addressed essential aspects like stakeholder engagement, vulnerability, and gender and appeared to include strategies to minimize relocations.

The NCEA made several recommendations for improvement. Firstly, enhancing stakeholder engagement and improving documentation of this engagement is essential for creating a fair negotiation space with those affected. Secondly, the analysis of vulnerability should be deepened, with specific strategies to address the needs of young people and women. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure a complete inventory of affected ecosystem goods and services, improve the consistency of compensation calculations, and communicate these effectively with the affected parties.

These recommendations and other detailed observations are available in the full advice document, which you can download here.