France and Guinea
Political relations
France condemned the coup d’état on 5 September 2021. A certain number of steps have since been taken by the Guinean authorities: a transition charter was published which affirms that members of the junta are ineligible for future elections, appointment of a civilian Prime Minister and an inclusive and majority civilian government, authorization granted to Alpha Condé to travel to the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, to receive treatment, etc. These developments, which fulfilled ECOWAS’s demands, enabled constructive dialogue to commence with the transition authorities.
France decided to support the transition, in close collaboration with its other partners such as ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations, so that this process may be a success and make a return to constitutional order possible.
Nonetheless, we remain extremely vigilant as to the situation and support ECOWAS’s mediation efforts.
French presence
French Embassy website: https://gn.ambafrance.org/
French community: 2,100 (September 2021)
Guinean community in France: Approximately 30,000
Visits
Visit to Conakry by Jean-Marc Ayrault, French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, on 11-12 November 2016;
Visit to Conakry by Ségolène Royal, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs, on 5 March 2017 for the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative;
State visit to Paris by President Alpha Condé on 10-12 April 2017;
Visit to Conakry by Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on 14 and 15 June 2017;
Meeting of the President of the French Republic with Alpha Condé at the Élysée Palace on 22 November 2017;
Visit to Conakry by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on 2 October 2018;
Visit by Laurent Nunez, Minister of State attached to the Minister of the Interior, on 18 and 19 June 2019;
Visit to Paris by President Condé for the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Landings in Provence on 15 August 2019;
Attendance by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State for Tourism, French Nationals Abroad and Francophonie, at the inauguration of President Alpha Condé on 15 December 2020.
Economic relations
Guinea is France’s 113th trading partner.
Guinea ranks 100th among France’s customers, 120th among its suppliers and 47th in trade surplus.
It represents 0.036% of France’s exports in the world.
In the Africa-Indian Ocean region, it ranks 19th among France’s customers, 24th among its suppliers and is its 14th-largest trade surplus.
It represents 1.63% of French exports to the region.
There are promising prospects for our businesses (more than 80 French companies are set up in Guinea), but the public health crisis and uncertainty over the transition period have led potential investors to act with caution, observing the evolution in the Guinean environment.
Bolloré, Air France, Orange, Société Générale, BNP Paribas, Total, Bureau Veritas and Castel are strengthening their positions as leaders in their respective sectors.
Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation
Guinea is one of the priority countries for our development assistance. Most financing comes from a debt relief and development contract (C2D, debt conversion) of €171 million, which primarily focuses on the sectors of agriculture and rural development, vocational education and training, pre-university education and local development.
France has been one of the main players in the fight against the Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea. In the emergency phase, it contributed €158 million between 2014 and 2015. Over €150 million has been allocated to the recovery phase.
France also provided immediate support to Guinea during the re-emergence of the Ebola virus disease in February 2021 (such as a first delivery of 510 of personal protection kits against Ebola on 22 February; delivery of reagents for the Pasteur Institute in Guinea; support to the setting up of a forward medical station used as a vaccination centre; training to support the rollout of six forward medical stations donated by France, etc.).
Governance, promoting the French language and culture, and support for higher education and scientific research are other priorities.
Updated: August 2022