Community relations

Rio Tinto is committed to building enduring relationships with all our stakeholders. Our relationships are characterised by mutual respect, active partnership and long term commitment. The trust that is engendered helps us deliver financial returns to host governments, local communities and to our own shareholders through economic, environmental and social stability. At Simandou, engagement and consultation in many forms started at an early stage.

Economics and conservation

We are making a great effort at Simandou to ensure that economic activities related to exploration and development maintain environmental quality and foster economic prosperity and social wellbeing. The mining operations and rail link will have a positive effect on the Guinean economy and represent one of the biggest foreign investments West Africa has seen in many years. 

We have a key part to play in development

To ensure biodiversity management Rio Tinto conducted social and environmental programmes from the outset that aimed at enhancing the benefits of the project for the local communities, while minimising potential adverse impacts. Initiatives include:

• Identification and assessment of local communities.
• Community discussion on improving quality of life
• Establishing a fund based on mining revenue to finance local development projects.

We are actively encouraging co-operative efforts between government, industry, non governmental organizations and local stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that balance economic prosperity, social well being and environmental quality.