NON MEMBER COUNTRIES
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Order the complete Guinea file in French GEOGRAPHICAL
SITUATION : Limited to the north by Guinea-Bissau
and Senegal, to the north-east by Mali, to the east by Ivory Coast, to
the south by Liberia, to the south-west by Sierra Leone. AREA : 94,916 sq miles CLIMATE : One distinguishes 2 climatic zones
: tropical and sub-equatorial, and 4 climates : CAPITAL : CONAKRY POPULATION : 7,165,750 inhabitants (1996 census results) MAIN CITIES :
HEALTH - EDUCATION : POLITICAL DATA : President of the Republic
: Mr. LANSANA CONTE (since 1984)
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS :
Guinea is a member of several regional and international organizations, among which : l'OCI, la CEDEAO, l'OHADA, l'OUA, l'ONU,… FINANCIAL BACKERS : WORLD BANK, BEI, AFD, BAD/FAD…
ECONOMY AND FINANCE : CURRENCY : Guinean Franc (evaluated daily on the interbanking monetary market)GDP : $ 3,482 million (2000) GDP DISTRIBUTION : Rural sector : 19,72 %, mining sector : 20,62 %, other sectors : 59,66 %
AGRICULTURE has been the object of several Letters
of Agricultural Development Policy (LPDA) since 1991. Only 2 million acres
out of a potential of 14.8 million acres are cultivated. Water ressources
are abundant, and there are an estimated 443,000 farms (34% with less than
2.5 acres). There are few small and medium agricultural businesses and
agro-industrial complexes. The main food productions are rice, corn, fonio,
peanut and manioc. To a lesser degree, potatoes, fruits and vegetables
are also grown in Guinea. The main export products are diamonds, bauxite,
gold, coffee, fruits and fish. FISHING : Besides the Sudanese-Sahelian rivers,
Guinea also benefits from the continental and maritime waters which provide
important yet under-exploited halieutic ressources. Middle Guinea handles
70% of the continental fishing, while maritime fishing is both manual and
industrial, its production reaches over 75,000 tons. Manual fishing enjoys
a reserved area of 10,000 miles and numbers some 12,000 professionnal fishermen. FOREST : Guinea has registered 394 ranked forests covering 3 million acres and 47.4 million acres of natural forests (mangrove, rain forest, wooded savanna, etc…) The MINING potential is important and comprises
one of the largest bauxite deposits in the world. The mining sector contributes
20% of the GDP. Besides bauxite, Guinea also owns gold reserves, diamonds,
iron ore (which are not mined). WATER AND ELECTRICITY : Dubbed the "water-tower of Western Africa", Guinea has considerable hydraulic potential. SOGEL (Société Guinéenne d'Electricité) is a private company and has a 10 year concession for the operation of the electrical system, starting June 1, 1994. ENELGUI (Entreprise Nationale d'Electricité de Guinée) has been transformed into a public patrimony company whose capital is owned by a group of private partners. Important development projects in this sector are being studied or are underway.
THE MINING SECTOR : A mining code has been issued
in 1995, financed by the World Bank and the Coopération Française.
An important project for the promotion of mining investments has been put
in the works. The mapping and the geological readings of North-East Guinea
have been entrusted to BRGM. FOOD PROCESSING SECTOR : The beverages market
is represented by 4 entities (CEG, SOBRAGUI, BONAGUI et SALGUIDIA).
AGRO INVESTMENT COMPANY produces melons and water-melons for the european
markets. NESTLE Guinea manufactures culinary broths, and also imports and
markets Nestlé Group food products. The company BARRY & DIALLO manufactures
culinary broths. The ENTAG factory annualy produces about 1.5 million cigarettes
for the internal market. Palm-oil manufacturing is performed by SOGUIPHA, while SEGECILE produces
soap. The BUILDING
MATERIALS SECTOR is represented by CIMENTS DE GUINEE, production
capacity is 600,000 tons/year…
ROAD : The national network has 8 447 miles of roads, of which 1 217 miles are lined. The RAILROAD : Completely ruined, it numbered initially (in 1914) 411 miles of raiways and 45 railway stations. The renovation of the urban network has nevertheless succeeded in relieving traffic in Conakry. With AFD financing, the SGTE/TER has been put in charge of studying the feasability of re-starting the railway service. POST & TELECOMMUNICATIONS : Measures for
straightening out the sector and a new sector policy have been defined, as
well as its opening up to competition. Since September 1997, Guinea is connected
to Internet, and the GSM system has been installed by ALCATEL. The BANKING SECTOR, which is undergoing restructuring since 1997, comprises 6 commercial banks and 3 "projects for a decentralized system": Crédit Rural, Crédit Mutuel et Pride. The INSURANCE SECTOR numbers 4 companies, with UGAR making up 85% of the marketshare. PRIVATIZATIONS - TOURISM - HISTORY & TOURISTICAL SITES - ADDRESS BOOK…
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LANGUAGES - ETHNICAL GROUPS - RELIGIONS :
PRIMARY SECTOR
LIVE-STOCK : 40 % of the bovine herd are in
middle Guinea, and 34% in higher Guinea. Hog breeding is mainly pursued in
forest Guinea and lower Guinea. The annual production of animal origin is
estimated to be 33,945 tons of meat, 1,656 tons of milk, covering 58% of
the country's needs.
The HARBOUR
PAC (Port Autonome de Conakry) plays a key economic role. It
benefited from important investments which enabled rehabilitation and extension
of its infrastructures. The control of imports is ensured by SGS. Handling
on the PAC is performed by five operators. A commercial line between Conakry
and Monravia (Liberia) is in operation since January 1998. A project for
the rehabilitation of the Benty secondary harbour's infrastructures has been
under study since 1997. 
