PROJECT

Projects

Summary of Advisory Services Project Information

Project Number

598587

Primary Business Area

Sustainable Business Advisory

Disclosure Date

Oct 22, 2012

Country

Guinea

Region

Africa

IFC Approval Date

Aug 31, 2012

Status

Completed

Estimated Total Budget

$3,896,500.00
(Project budget includes all project-funded activities)

Last Updated Date

Jun 12, 2021

Project Estimated End Date

Aug 31, 2016

Project Description

IFC and Rio Tinto signed a Cooperation Agreement to develop the Technical Assistance and Local Supplier Development project in Guinea, to support the development and operation of the Simandou Project, in which IFC has a 5% stake. The Proposed project is a follow-on to the pilot project implemented between 2009 and 2011 and its aim is to facilitate access to procurement opportunities for local small and medium enterprises (SME) in Guinea by addressing the key challenges they face, such as poor organizational and institutional structure, lack of management and financial capacity, poor technical skills, difficulty in accessing finance, and poor market access. These conditions make it difficult for Guinean SMEs to participate effectively in the economic activity generated by the Simandou Project, unless specific interventions are implemented to support their capacity development and to link them up with existing opportunities in the mining sector. The project is based on IFC's worldwide experience of supplier development and SME capacity building using proprietary high-quality information and tools (SME Toolkit), proven learning methodology (such as Business Edge), and a network of local training partners. The project will develop a strong link between the Simandou Project and local SMEs, thereby increasing their participation in Simandou's supply chain.

Development Results