New Rio Tinto Alcan partnership supports sustainable community development in the Boke mining region of the Republic of Guinea

MONTREAL, Dec 05, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Rio Tinto Alcan, the Agence francaise de developpement (AFD), the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), and the Guinean Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development have signed a memorandum of understanding to build planning and management capacities in the rural development communities (CRDs) of Kamsar, Kolaboui and Sangaredi, in the Boke mining region. "This public-private partnership fully supports the Republic of Guinea's decentralization policy, strategic framework for poverty reduction, and United Nations Millennium Development Goals," said Steven Hodgson, president and chief executive officer, Bauxite and Alumina, Rio Tinto Alcan. "This project builds on our November 2007 initiatives to encourage rural communities to assume responsibility for their own development and improve local governance." Rio Tinto Alcan and the AFD will provide approximately US$300,000 and US$450,000 respectively in funding. The project is expected to facilitate financial support for the CRDs to carry out health, education, and revenue-generating activities outlined in their local development plans. About Rio Tinto Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa. SOURCE RIO TINTO ALCAN - EN