7. Urban Planning: When Mining Companies Take on Government’s Role—Public–Private Collaboration in Regional Development in Guinea

The arrival of mining investments in Guinea lead to an important influx of migrants and changes throughout the region. Under international and national regulations, mining companies are obliged to mitigate their negative impacts, including migration. Based on an analysis of several mining projects since 2008, we have assessed the contribution of mining companies to regional development and through that to the overall process of governing urban Africa. A common practice is to develop public–private collaboration by the creation of tools and guidelines for regional development. But this type of collaboration modifies the established balance of local power. Mining companies may be perceived as social agents instead of governments. There is also a risk that mining companies will make decisions that serve their own interests.