Guinea president retains Magassouba as mines minister

Guinea President Alpha Conde has retained Abdoulaye Magassouba as mines minister overseeing the West African nation's bauxite, iron ore, gold and diamond wealth, according to a decree read on state television on Thursday.

Magassouba was first appointed to the position in January 2016. Under his tenure, exports of bauxite - the main ore source of aluminium - have risen to over 60 million tonnes per year from around 22 million tonnes in 2015.