By Jordan José Maria Garcia*

As the United States reassesses its global strategy on critical minerals, supply-chain resilience, and strategic competition with China, one African country deserves far greater attention than it currently receives: the Republic of Guinea. Endowed with extraordinary mineral wealth much of it either underexploited or insufficiently integrated into U.S. supply chains Guinea is uniquely positioned to influence the future of energy transition technologies, advanced manufacturing, and defense systems.

For Washington, Guinea should no longer be viewed through a purely diplomatic or development lens. It is a strategic minerals power in the making.

Beyond Bauxite: Gallium, Graphite, and Untapped Strategic Minerals

Guinea is already the world’s largest exporter of bauxite, a fact well known in global commodity markets. What remains underappreciated is the strategic significance of what bauxite contains beyond aluminum. Bauxite is one of the principal sources of gallium, a critical mineral indispensable for semiconductors, advanced microelectronics, 5G infrastructure, satellite systems, and defense applications such as radar and missile guidance.

Today, China dominates global gallium production and refining. This dominance gives Beijing structural leverage over industries that are central to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. Guinea’s bauxite reserves therefore represent not just an aluminum opportunity, but a potential pillar of a diversified, non-Chinese gallium supply chain if the United States chooses to engage upstream.

The same is true for graphite, another mineral where Guinea holds significant reserves. Natural graphite is essential for lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, and multiple defense technologies. Much of Guinea’s graphite potential remains underexplored, alongside other rare and strategic minerals that have yet to be fully mapped or industrially developed. In a world where demand for critical minerals is accelerating faster than new supply, Guinea stands out as one of the few jurisdictions capable of delivering scale.

Simandou: A Strategic Lesson, Not a Missed Cause

Any serious discussion of Guinea’s mineral importance must also address Simandou, the world-class iron ore deposit located in southeastern Guinea. Simandou is no longer a dormant or hypothetical asset. The project is now advancing toward production through two major consortia, led respectively by Rio Tinto and the Winning Consortium, reflecting Guinea’s determination to finally unlock the value of this extraordinary resource.

Simandou’s progression carries an important strategic lesson for the United States. Despite its scale and significance, the project has moved forward without meaningful U.S. industrial participation. Its development has instead been shaped by non-U.S. actors, including China-aligned interests, with long-term implications for control over supply, infrastructure, and offtake.

Simandou should therefore not be viewed as a closed door, but as a reference point and a warning. When the United States remains absent at the mine level, others fill the vacuum and define the rules. The same dynamic is now playing out across Africa’s critical minerals landscape.

Competing with China Requires a Different U.S. Approach

For more than two decades, China has pursued a coherent and disciplined strategy in Africa: securing direct access to mineral assets, financing infrastructure tied to resource extraction, and locking in long-term offtake agreements. Railways and ports have been tools in that strategy but control over production has been the objective.

U.S. engagement, by contrast, has often emphasized downstream partnerships, development finance, or diplomatic alignment, while avoiding deep involvement in upstream mining. In today’s strategic environment, that approach is no longer sufficient.

Competing with China will not be achieved simply by building railways in Africa or by offering alternative infrastructure financing. Infrastructure matters, but it does not determine who controls supply. The United States must be prepared to engage directly in mining through equity participation, joint ventures, long-term offtake agreements, and sustained private-sector presence on the ground.

Why Guinea Should Be Central to U.S. Strategy

Guinea offers an unusually strong alignment of interests. It possesses vast reserves of minerals critical to U.S. industrial and security priorities. It is politically central to West Africa. And it is increasingly focused on ensuring that its natural resources translate into domestic value creation, infrastructure development, and long-term economic sovereignty.

A U.S. strategy centered on direct mining involvement in Guinea would not only reduce strategic dependence on China, but also support Guinea’s own development objectives. Such a partnership would move beyond transactional engagement toward a durable alignment of interests industrial, economic, and geopolitical.

Late but Still Possible

It is true that the United States is late. China has spent years consolidating its position across Africa’s mining sector, including in Guinea. But late does not mean excluded. Significant opportunities remain in bauxite-derived gallium, graphite, and other critical minerals that are central to the technologies shaping the 21st century.

Critical minerals are no longer just commodities; they are instruments of power. Guinea sits at the intersection of global demand, strategic competition, and untapped potential. The question is not whether Guinea matters to U.S. strategy it does. The real question is whether the United States is ready to engage at the level required to compete.

The window is narrowing, but it remains open. If the United States is serious about securing its future supply chains, Guinea should be at the forefront of its critical minerals strategy not as an afterthought, but as a priority.

*Honorary Consul of the Republic of Guinea for the State of California