What does Ireland import from Guinea-Conakry?

Question

Ireland is one of the largest export markets from Guinea, but I am completely puzzled as to what material this could be or whether Ireland is being used as a tax haven.

Answer 1

A few years ago I bought some old reference books that my local library was disposing of........

(1) According to "Africa: South of the Sahara 1998", which has data up to 1996, this is the position:
Guinea's 6 major exports are (in order): bauxite, alumina, gold, coffee, diamonds and fish. Ireland is placed 4th as a recipient of Guinea's exports (behind Benelux countries, USA and Spain).

(2) The Republic of Guinea has its website, which strangely (though fortunate for comparison purposes) has no data more recent than 1996. The figures do not tally.
Guinea's 6 major exports are (in order): bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, fish and coffee). The top five countries to which Guinea exports are shown as (in order): France, E.U [*], Benelux, Côte d’Ivoire and Japan.
[* The list also shows Spain, Italy and Germany, so presumably Ireland is contained within this "other" (?) EU category]

(3) The Republic of Ireland's Central Statistical Office shows Guinea as one of the source countries of its imports. Imports from Guinea represent less than 0.2% of the total, though it is only one of two African countries that get shown individually (the other being South Africa).

(4) So where does that all get us? Not very far. However the main commodity that Ireland imports from Guinea must be bauxite (and alumina). The International Bauxite Association was formed in Conakry in March 1974. The members were established as Australia, Guinea, Guyana, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Surinam and Yugoslavia. This must indicate that Guinea is one the world's major exporters of bauxite.

I don't think Ireland would be used as a tax haven - there are plenty of more obvious countries around the world.

[By the way, if you didn't know already, aluminium is extracted from bauxite and alumina.]

Answer 2

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