COUNTRY PROFILE REPUBLIC
COUNTRY PROFILE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA The Simandou iron-ore mine will be Africa’s biggest mining project. Capital: Conarky. Other towns/cities: Nzérékoré, Kankan, Manéah. Population: 13.9-million. GDP: .6-billion (2023) World Bank. GDP per capita: 663 (2023) World Bank. Currency: Guinean Franc. Regional Economic Community: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Landmass: 245 857km². Resources: Bauxite, diamonds, gold, iron ore, other metals, uranium. Hydropower, fish, salt. Main economic sectors: Mining and agriculture. Guinea is the world’s secondlargest producer of bauxite. Other sectors: Agro-processing, tobacco, tourism. New sectors for investment: Infrastructure including electricity and water, processing industries and the services sector. Key projects: Guinea’s National Economic and Social Development Plan (PNDES) was updated in 2021 and the World Bank is assisting in three priority areas: management of resources (budgetary and natural), human development, agricultural productivity and economic growth. Chief exports: Gold, aluminium ore, coconuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, cocoa beans, fish. Top export destinations: China, India, UAE, Switzerland, Spain. Top import sources: China, India, Netherlands, UAE, Belgium. Main imports: Refined petroleum, rice, garments, plastic products, wheat. Infrastructure: Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport. As part of the plan to mine iron ore at Simandou, a major project to develop a 600km railway line to the coast has been approved. A new port to deal with exports will be developed. The multi-stakeholder project is altogether worth about .6-billion dollars. Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 102 (2022) World Bank. Internet percentage of population: 35 (2021) World Bank. ICT Development Index 2017 (ITU) ranking: 166, 29th in Africa. Climate: Hot and humid with a rainy season that lasts from June to November. The dry season from December to May is accompanied by harmattan winds which blow off the Sahara Desert to the north-east. The Fouta Djallon Highlands, pictured, are also known as the Water Towers of West Africa because these high plateaus are the source of several major rivers. The Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a transborder World Heritage Site of exceptional biodiversity on the borders of Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. There are concerns that mining represents an environmental threat. Religion: Between 85% and 90% of the population is Muslim. Modern history: Guinea was on the western edge of several of the great West African empires from the 15th century. France declared Guinea to be a separate colony from Senegal in 1891. Guinea achieved independence in 1958 with Ahmed Sékou Touré as the first president. In 2014 the Ebola virus broke out. Guinea has had several military coups, with the most recent being in 2021 with the overthrow of President Alpha Condé. ECOWAS has engaged with the country’s military leaders and in March 2024, a new government was set up, two weeks after the appointment of a third Prime Minister since the 2021 coup. Opposition groups want to see a quick return to constitutional order and they are supported in this goal by ECOWAS, who lifted sanctions early in 2024 in response to what was seen as encouraging signs from the existing government, but exactly when a referendum or new elections will be held is not clear. 32 PHOTO: FAO/Paolo Ceci
COUNTRY PROFILE GHANA A debt restructuring programme is in place. Capital: Accra. Other towns/cities: Kumasi, Tamale, Sekondi-Takoradi. Population: 33.4-million (2022). GDP: .3-billion (2023) GDP per capita, PPP: 446 (2023) Currency: Cedi. Regional Economic Community: Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN- SAD), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Landmass: 238 533km². Resources: Diamonds, bauxite, gold, manganese and bauxite. Unexploited deposits of copper, chrome, iron ore, mica, nickel, limestone and quartz. Crude oil and natural gas. Cassava, cocoa, maize, oranges, palm oil, pineapples, plantains, rice, taro, yams. Main economic sectors: Mining, agriculture and hydrocarbons. Services is the biggest employment sector. Agriculture’s employment share declined from 53% in 2007 to 29% in 2019. Other sectors: Food-processing, timber, light manufacturing, aluminium smelting, cement. New sectors for investment: Fintech, automotive, telecoms, FMCG. Key projects: The Ghana Financial Stability Project of the World Bank seeks to stabilise the financial sector. This is part of a larger project aimed at structural transformation, which should be supported by investment in value-added activities. Manufacturing is promoted under the One District, One Factory plan. Chief exports: Gold, crude petroleum, cocoa products, manganese, cashews. Top export destinations: Switzerland, India, China, UAE, South Africa. Top import sources: China, Nigeria, USA. Main imports: Metal tubing, ships, cars, refined petroleum, rice. Infrastructure: Airports 10, of which 7 paved; railways 947 km; roadways 94 203km (14 948km paved); pipelines 681.3km gas, 11.4km oil, 435km refined products. The Dakar-Lagos Highway passes through Ghana. Electrification, 85%. Two large stateowned utility companies control significant resources of hydropower. Seaports: Takoradi, Tema. ICT: Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (World Bank, 2022). Internet percentage of population: 68% (2021). ICT Development Index 2017 (ITU) ranking: 116, 7th in Africa. Climate: Tropical and heavily forested. Warm and dry along south-east coast hot and humid in south-west. The savannah belt in the north is hot and dry with harmattan winds from January to March in north-east. Religion: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs. Modern history: Independence was declared in 1957, making Ghana an inspiration for other African states. The first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was an advocate of pan-Africanism and a founder of the Organisation of African Unity. A succession of coups and periods of military rule followed Nkrumah, ending only with the signing of a new constitution in 1992. Since then the country has gained a reputation for respect for human rights and democracy in a region which has been afflicted by coups. Offshore oil production began in 2010. This has had a significant effect on the economy, not only in creating more revenue but making Ghana subject to the volatility of world markets. Further oil fields were added in 2016 and 2017 and a gas-processing plant was commissioned. Ghana is a major gold producer. Humanrights lawyer Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential election in December 2016 and again in 2020. His second term of office has been difficult economically with global shocks causing inflation and currency devaluation. A debt restructuring programme under the IMF has been agreed. The president is not eligible to run for a third term of office in December 2024. PHOTO: Kojo Nana on Unsplash 33
