The reasons put forward by international observers for the failure of the Guinean aluminum industry to date are the lack of infrastructure, the high cost of operations in Guinea, the low productivity and high cost of Guinean workers, and the lack of a stable legal environment in which to operate. However, this may soon be about to change as thecomplementary logics of operators following the global trend of building on-site refineries, and the Guinean government desire to benefit in terms of investment, employment, taxes and infrastructure, mean that both share a common goal: the establishment of alumina refineries on Guinean soil.