The boom in mining activities in the Republic of Guinea has a negative side, too. It is that of work accidents resulting in serious, disabling, sometimes fatal injuries. This is why the Ministry of Mines and Geology, in partnership with the Chamber of Mines of Guinea, organized a two-day workshop for the promotion and compliance with hygiene, health and safety standards in the sector. This workshop, which took place from April 22 to 23, 2025, brought together, in a hotel complex in Conakry, representatives of mining companies, gold miners, regional inspectors and prefectural directors of Mines and Geology to look into the issue.

During these two days, several aspects of hygiene, health and safety were discussed. Industry experts reviewed the risk factors for accidents, and the appropriate measures that should be put in place to make the workplace safe.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was chaired by Mr. Bouna SYLLA, Minister of Mines and Geology. In 2024 alone, 628 accidents were recorded in the mining sector, resulting in many deaths:

• Bauxite sector: 15 deaths recorded
• Gold sector: 7 deaths recorded
• Iron sector: 2 deaths, the most striking of which is that of Morlaye CAMARA, who died accidentally while working at the port of SimFer, in Moribaya
• Quarry: 38 deaths reported

While the above-mentioned statistics seem enormous, it should be noted that they could be underestimated given the fact that cases of accidents are not systematically reported, especially in the gold panning sector.