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The Africa Finance Corporation and a consortium of investors are set to invest $205 million in Alufer Mining Limited, the leading bauxite exploration and development company in Guinea, according to a statement released on Friday.

The Lagos-based multilateral lender said the investment is aimed at funding the development of Guinea-Conakry’s high grade bauxite reserves and it will also be one of the largest foreign investments in the West African country since the 2014 Ebola crisis.

“Mining exports have historically played a crucial role in Guinea’s economy, accounting for up to a quarter of Guinea’s exports,” said Oliver Andrews, the Chief Investment Officer of AFC. “As global demand for aluminium increases, AFC is proud to be the sole private sector African investor in the Bel Air Mine, developing a world class mine that adheres to best practise environmental principles.”

Alufer Mining currently holds a ratified mining convention in the Bel Air project of western Guinea, as well as licences linked to the Labé Project in the central part of the country. The company has declared over three billion tonnes of bauxite at the Bel Air and Labé projects, and expects to produce 5.5 metric tonnes per annum of the commodity from Bel Air within 18 to 24 months.

Once complete, the AFC said the Bel Mine project will increase production levels in line with global demand, which at present outpaces supply. It has been forecasted that aluminium consumption will grow by over 6 percent for the next five years, primarily driven by Chinese demand. And high grade bauxite ore from Guinea is expected to be shipped to markets such as China at a cheaper price, thereby boosting the country’s GDP.

Other members of AFC’s consortium include Orion Mine Finance, a specialist mining investor, with over $2.5 billion of assets under management, and Resource Capital Funds, a mining focused financier with over $2.5 billion under management, as well as Alufer’s existing shareholders.

“We are also encouraged to see that Alufer has been working with the local community to develop sustainable projects which assist in the provision of drinking water, as well as development of local infrastructure and job creation,” Andrews said.

The AFC said it is experienced in building and developing African economies that have suffered conflict and crisis. For instance, the lender said it has been instrumental in the re-construction of Cote d’Ivoire following the country’s civil war through investments such as the Henri Konan Bridge. And in Liberia, the lender said it financed the post-Ebola rebuilding of certain fuel imports and storage facilities damaged by the country’s long-running civil conflicts.