Conakry, Republic of Guinea – SimFer, the joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Guinea, Rio Tinto and the CIOH consortium led by Chinalco, will host the second edition of its Supplier Recognition Awards on 13 May 2026 in Conakry to recognise outstanding performance across the Simandou project supply chain.
Since 2022, SimFer has developed a strong and responsible supplier network, representing a major lever for economic value creation and the strengthening of local capabilities in Guinea. The 2026 Supplier Recognition Awards is the opportunity to celebrate supplier excellence in a ceremony gathering SimFer and Rio Tinto Guinea leadership, public institutions and media representatives.
Aboubacar Koulibaly, Head of Rio Tinto Guinea, stated: “These awards celebrate supplier excellence and recognise the growing contribution of Guinean businesses to the Simandou project. We are proud to see such strong Guinean participation across our supply chain – from major construction and operational contracts to small family-run and community suppliers providing essential goods and services. This growing depth of Guinean involvement is critical to delivering Simandou responsibly and to creating lasting economic value and a multiplier effect on the growth of Guinea.”
Chris Aitchison, Managing Director at SimFer, stated: “Delivering the Simandou project to internationally recognised standards depends on the commitment and performance of our suppliers. These awards reflect our expectations in areas such as safety, ethics and local content, and celebrate companies contributing positively to Guinea’s economic development while meeting those standards.”
Nominees and winners for the Supplier Awards are selected through a structured and transparent assessment process based on clear performance criteria aligned with SimFer’s standards and Rio Tinto’s values.
This year’s awards will recognise suppliers across the following categories:
- Care, Courage and Curiosity
- Simandou Award: Operational Excellence – Services
- Simandou Award: Operational Excellence – Goods
- HSE Award
- Local Engagement Award
- Rio Tinto Guinea Award
- Wontanara Award (Grand Prix)
- CEO Award
The Supplier Recognition Ceremony builds on the first edition, which marked an important milestone in recognising the project’s partners. A recap video of the previous edition is available here: Supplier Recognition Awards 2025
Procurement plays a central role in Rio Tinto SimFer’s contribution to Guinea’s economy with procurement spend in country reaching USD 1.7 billion in 2025. We currently work with more than 1,000 active suppliers across our supply chain and we are proud to award an increasing share of contracts to Guinea-based and Guinea-owned businesses.