Guinea

USAID's Strategy in Guinea

Since the fall of Sekou Toure's socialist regime in 1984, Guinea has made only minimal progress in instituting the fundamental reforms needed to boost the economy, expand social services, and maintain steady inflows of donor resources. Moreover, political will to continue reforms has severely diminished in recent years, and Guinea continues to rank among the poorest countries in the world. Infant mortality rates of 169 per 1,000, maternal mortality of 528 per 100,000 live births, and HIV rates as high as 7 percent in parts of the country, help explain why the quality of life for the average Guinean is considered among the lowest in the world.

Guinea possesses great potential for economic growth due to an abundance of natural resources, excellent conditions for agriculture, and a strategic location that favors trade. Unfortunately, corruption and favoritism, unstable borders, questionable political stability, and lack of control and transparency in managing budget resources continue to hamper development progress and severely discourage needed foreign and domestic investment in Guinea. These conditions also pose a potential threat to regional stability.

U.S. strategic interests in Guinea are strong and multi-faceted. Guinea is a moderate Muslim country that currently holds a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council and maintains a moderate, secular orientation in its foreign policy. Guinea is bordered by six countries, of which four (Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and Liberia) have had serious levels of instability or conflict over the past several years. As a result of these conflicts, Guinea is currently host to a significant refugee population. Keeping Guinea stable is important to resolving conflicts in this volatile region, and to preventing conditions that could become a security threat to the United States.

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