Bauxite: Guinea's mineral wealth | Global 3000 

A good analogy. This story has played itself out in communities across the globe for more than a century now. At least in the hills of Appalachia for a period of time some workers were able to get decent wages as a result of the United Mine Workers union. Sadly many of them ended up with black lung and other health conditions. I recall that when Michael Manley was the prime minister of Jamaica in the mid to late 1970s that he wanted the world's bauxite producers to negotiate with aluminum companies as a bloc akin to OPEC negotiating with oil companies. Manley was laughed at in some circles and considered dangerous in others. Had more bauxite producers listened to him 40 or so years ago, perhaps the fate the bauxite producing countries in the so-called developing world would be different from their reality today.

Nice comments, guys. Refreshing to see thinking on RU-vid. I just wish these companies wanted to earn profit AND enrich communities. When we die, our profits ain’t worth spit. I want wealth but to me, knowing I helped familial legacies get on track for generational prosperity would be a huge boon to my soul. Knowing some family in Africa can lived a dignified life and not even know I contributed in part. What a life that can be.

It is unfortunately this robbery that gives us aluminum siding for our homes, aluminum knives and forks for us to eat, and aluminum airplanes for travel or national defense. Those of us who live in the US may not have leverage over companies in China, Russia, or Western Europe, but we can certainly as consumers demand that Alcoa and other US-headquartered aluminum companies do more in the communities from which they extract bauxite.

No visa nedeed

the top comment is people saying, like in Appalacia (USA), that the resource wealth is being taken from this land and riches are being made elsewhere with the absolute minimum done to give back. Yes, the russians provided the capital and equipment to reap the rewards, but they do so at the expense of many who would benefit from more aid there.