India - Guinea Bilateral Relations

Embassy of India
Conakry
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 India-Guinea Bilateral Relations

Relations between India and Republic of Guinea have been cordial and friendly.  India had opened an Embassy in Conakry earlier but closed in 1988 after more than 2 decades. Guinea opened its Embassy in New Delhi in April 2012.  Subsequent to the Cabinet approval for opening of 18 new Missions in Africa by 2021, India opened its Embassy in Guinea in 2019. India has extended developmental assistance under various schemes to Guinea over the years. Guinea too has been very supportive of India’s line on various International issues and candidates at multilateral International bodies. The Government of Guinea acknowledges India’s contribution and increasingly looks forward to further strengthening its relationship with India. Bilateral relations between India and Guinea are strengthening continuously. 

Bilateral Agreements between India and Guinea:

i) MoU on Foreign Office Consultations (2014)
ii) Establishment of Joint Commission between the Foreign Ministries of India and Guinea (2014)
iii) MoU on Co-operation in the Field of Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy (August 2019)
iv) MoU on Co-operation in the Field of Renewable Energy (August 2019)
v) MoU for participation in the e-VBAB Network Project (Technology Up-gradation of Pan Africa e-Network Project (August 2019)

Bilateral visits:

Major visits from India to Guinea:

1. MOS External Affairs, Mrs. Preneet Kaur visited Guinea in January 2014. This was the first Ministerial visit after the closure of Indian Embassy in Conakry in 1988.  MOS (PK) met the President and the Prime Minister and held bilateral talks with the Foreign Minister. Two agreements were signed with the Foreign Minister of Guinea, during the visit, namely, Establishment of Joint Commission between the Foreign Ministries of two countries and an MoU on Foreign Office Consultations.

ii.         The Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind accompanied by Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, MoS for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Shri Dilip Gosh, MP, Lok Sabha paid a State visit to Guinea from 1-3 August 2019. During the President’s visit to Guinea, following three MoUs were signed in Conakry on 2 August 2019:

The major visits from Guinea to India:

1. The President of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Ahmed Sekou Toure participated in the NAM Summit in New Delhi in 1983.
2. The Foreign Minister of Guinea participated in International Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment in January 2007.
3. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad, Dr. Edouard Nyankoye Lama participated in India LDC Ministerial Conference on “Harnessing the Positive Contribution of South-South Cooperation for Development of Least Developed Countries” in February 2011.
4. The Industry Minister Mrs. R Bah participated in CII Partnership Summit 2013 held in Agra from 27-29 January 2013.
5. A delegation comprising Ministers of Energy, Health, Employment, Technical Education and Vocational Training and Agriculture attended the 9th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave in March 2013.
6. Prof. Alpha Condé, former President of the Republic of Guinea, visited India to participate in the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit in October 2015, immediately after his re-election to a second term in October 2015.
7. Guinean Planning Minister and the Guinean Minister of State for Finance attended the 52nd Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Ahmedabad in May 2017.
8. Guinean Foreign Minister Mr. Mamadi Toure visited India on 6 November 2017 to seek high level Indian participation in a Donors Conference in Paris in the same month.  He also visited India in March 2018 to attend the Founding Members Conference of ISA.
9. PM, Dr. Ibrahima Kassory Fofana attended the 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave in March 2019.  He was one of the Guests of Honour at the Conclave.
10. Foreign Minister, Mr. Mamadi Toure visited India in December 2019, signed LoC Agreements and had bilateral meeting with EAM, Shri S. Jaishankar.
11. Chief of Staff-General Deputy of Armed Forces, Mr. Mohamed Bangoura and Mr. Alpha Souleymane Sow, Lieutenant Colonel represented Guinea in the DefExpo 2020.
12. H.E. Hadja Safiatou Diallo, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Guinea participated virtually in the Voice of Global South Summit on 12 January 2023.
13. H.E. Dr. Mamdou P. Diallo, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Guinea, visited Delhi on the invitation of Dr. Mansukh  Mandaviya, Minister of   Health & Family Welfare, Government of India (GoI) to attend the event titled 'ONE EARTH ONE HEALTH - The 6th Edition of Advantage Healthcare lndia' organized in collaboration with FlCCl from 26th to 28th April 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
14. Mr. Ahmed Sekou Keita Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Energy, Hydraulic and Hydrocarbons along with Mr. Ismael NABE, Advisor to the Prime Minister in charge of Investments and Public-Private Partnerships and attended the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India - Africa Growth Partnership held from 14 –16 June 2023 at New Delhi.
15. H.E. Mrs. Louopou LAMAH, Minister of Commerce, Industry, Small & Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Guinea along with Adviser to Prime Minister visited Delhi from 21-24 August 2023. During the visit H.E. Mrs. LAMAH held bilateral meeting with Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon. Minister of Commerce & Industry.
16. Mr. Ahmed Sekou Keita, Secretary General, Ministry of Energy, Hydraulics and Hydrocarbons along with Mr. Karim Kamara attended the 6th Session of International Solar Alliance Assembly from 30 October to 01 November 2023 at New Delhi.
17. Mr. Ahmed Sekou Keita, Secretary General represented H.E. Aly Seydouba Soumah, Minister of Energy, Hydraulics and Hydrocarbons, Republic of Guinea in the Voice of Global South Summit 2.0 (VoGSS2.0) held on 17 November 2023 virtually.
18. Mr. Mohamed Billy Kaba, Secretary General (Deputy Minister), Ministry of Youth and Sports attended the Youth Ministers’ Session of the 3rd VOGSS on 17 August 2024 on the theme, “Youth Engagement for a Better Future.”
19. Led by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Mr. Ismael Nabe, a high level government delegation including of Minister of Transport, Mr. Mahamadou Abdoulaye Diallo, Minster of Health and Public Hygiene, Mr. Oumar Diouhe Bah, Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Mr. Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, participated in the 19th CII-Africa Business Conclave from 20 to 22 August 2024 at Delhi. During the visit, Guinean Ministers also held meetings with Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri J. P. Nadda, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare and other senior government officers.

   
Trade and Commerce:

The overall bilateral trade between India and Guinea has been on the rise, though there is no clear trend visible. Major Indian exports include rice, cereals, engineering goods, drugs & pharmaceuticals, textile, transport equipment, paints/chemicals, iron & steel, and construction equipment. Major Indian imports include gold, pearls/stones/jewelry, mineral fuels & bitumen, cashew, scrap metals, aluminum, etc. 

Bilateral trade statistics during the last five years are as follows:

Investment of Indian Companies in Guinea

The Indian community in Guinea comprises around 1440 persons amongst whom 791 people have registered themselves with the Embassy. There is no major investment by the Government of India or by any big companies from India in this country. However, a few Indians have established manufacturing facilities in Guinea. Due to Innumerable challenges and unfavorable environment/ecosystem for carrying out business, only a few resilient small private companies viz. Topaz Group of Companies, Jaguar Industries, Odhav Multi Industries, M/s Volta Impex, Ashapura Mining, Dynamic Mining, Bombay Industries, Diamond Cements, Goldmine Global Medicare Pvt ltd etc. have invested in Guinea. These are mainly involved in mining sector and import/export of goods such as automobiles, textiles, food products, sanitary items, cookware, soaps and detergents, cashews etc. From the statistical point of view, there is a great scope of business opportunities in Guinea in varied sectors including mining, agriculture, retail/wholesale trade etc.  The Mission has been assisting a many other prominent Indian entrepreneurs who have approached the Embassy of India, Conakry seeking ministerial level meetings to establish their businesses in Guinea.   

Development Partnership: 

India has been supporting Guinea’s development by providing assistance in developmental projects through concessional lines of credit (LoC) and grants. Government of India has extended the following Lines of Credit (LoCs) to the Government of the Republic of Guinea:

i)          LOC of US $ 35 million: The LOC was extended to the Government of the Republic of
Guinea on 11 March 2014 for strengthening of health system in Guinea.

ii)         LOC of US $ 20.506 million: This is an additional funding to the LoC of US $ 35 million
extended on 12 June 2020 for construction and upgradation of regional hospitals in Kankan and Nzerekore.
          
iii)        LOC of US $ 170 million: The Government of India had extended a Line of Credit (LoC) of US $ 170 million to the Government of the Republic of Guinea on 13 November 2019 for financing the project for strengthening the drinking water supply of Grand Conakry-Horizon 2040. On 20 October 2023 Ministry has conveyed approval of GoI on the DPR at an estimated cost of US $ 168.767 million for the components to be financed under GoI-LoC of US $ 170 million extended to Guinea.

iv)        LOC of US $ 20.22 million: The LoC agreement was extended on 7 November 2019 for the following two solar projects, signed on 5 December 2019:

a)     Solar project for supply of Electricity and Drinking Water for 7 public universities in Guinea at a cost of US $ 14.40 million.

b)     Solar Project for electrification and refrigeration in 200 health infrastructures in Guinea at a cost of US $ 5.82 million.

              Apart from the above LoCs, Government of India had also accepted the proposal from the Guinean Government to extend GOIs technical and financial support for construction of five regional airports in the interior of the Republic of Guinea and construction of a Convention Center in Conakry at an estimated cost of US $ 250 million. The Government of the Guinea was requested to re-submit its proposal in the form of LOC.  
                                                       
Humanitarian Aids/Donations:

• Guinea has also availed Indian LOC of US$ 28.51 million through ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) for importing 100 buses from India (US$ 8.1 million) and for rehabilitation and extension of the electricity networks in Guinea (US$ 20 million).
• Government of India donated fifty electric transformers in April 2007 with capacities between 250 and 400 KVA costing Rs. 17.67 million to help Guinea mitigate its electricity problem.
• GOI extended bilateral assistance of US$ 50,000 to Guinea to fight Ebola in 2014. In addition, GOI provided cash assistance of US$ 500,000 to WHO as well as contribution of US$ 10 million to UN Fund for Ebola and additional US$ 2 million for purchase of protective gear to tackle Ebola for the three Ebola affected countries of West Africa including Guinea.
• GOI extended six tons of critical medical assistance to the Republic of Guinea in July 2020, to fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Capacity Building/Scholarships from India

• ICCR: The ICCR has allocated one slot to the Republic of Guinea under Africa Scholarship Scheme (ASS). The Mission utilized the slot by sending one Guinean applicant to India to avail of the ICCR scholarship under Africa Scholarship Scheme (ASS) during the Academic Year 2021-22, 2022-23 & 2023-24. One slot allocated for the AY 2024-25 has also been utilized by the Guinea.

• ITEC: The Ministry has allocated the following Defence and Civilian ITEC slots to the Republic of Guinea:

            i) Defence ITEC: The Ministry has allocated two slots to Republic of Guinea for training of       Defence Personnel from foreign countries in India under Defence ITEC Programme of the Ministry. 
            ii) Civilian ITEC: The Ministry has allocated 40 Civilian ITEC slots to the Republic of    Guinea.    

• eVidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti (e-VBAB) Project: The PAN African e-Network project of India has been in operation in Guinea. Government of India has offered the upgraded e-VBAB programme to Guinea.  The MoU in the field of e-VBAB Network Project was signed on 2 August 2019 between Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Republic of Guinea during the state visit of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Hon'ble President of India from 1-3 August 2019.  The Project, started 7 October 2019 is completely funded by the Government of India for its entire duration.  The Government of India through Tele-education project offers scholarships to the Students from Guinea to pursue Undergraduate (3 years courses), Postgraduate (2 to 2½ years courses), Diploma courses (1 Year) and Certificate Programs of 4 to 24 weeks from premier public and private universities of India in various disciplines including technology, business administration and commerce, healthcare, tourism, humanities and arts.  Students can enroll and pursue the course completely online from their home or at learning center.  Students can now empower themselves without leaving the country and free of cost by developing technical and managerial skills and embark on a new career, or prepare for advanced study.  The courses offered are completely free of cost. The Tele-education portal is accessible at https://ilearn.gov.in.  Under the e-VBAB network project, TCIL has supplied Computers, printers, TV, UPS, CCTV, etc. and set up learning center at Gamal Abdel Nasser University Guinea.  Learning Centre (LC) and it was inaugurated on 27 July 2021.  The learning center is for the benefit of students from Guinea.  Minsitry has allocated two slots for July 2023 academic session to Guinea under e-VBAB scholarship network project. Mission has utilized the two slots for Jul 2023 Academic session and enrollment of two students has already been approved. The e-ArogyaBharti project is yet to be implemented.

Cultural Relations:

In February 2013, ICCR sponsored 8-member cultural troupe from Guinea to participate in Suraj Kund Art and Craft Mela. ICCR paid for their airfare and all local expenditure during their 15 days stay in India. A Folk-Dance Troupe from Arunachal Pradesh visited Guinea and gave a performance in Conakry on 27 October 2017. This was the first ever visit by any cultural troupe from India.

Indian Community:

The influx of Indian entrepreneurs into Guinea commenced in the early nineties. The number of Indian community in Guinea is estimated to be 1440 amongst whom 791 people have registered themselves with the Embassy. They are mainly involved in import retail business such as automobiles, textiles, food products, sanitary items, cookware, soaps and detergents cashews etc and in mining, power, steel, cement, pharmaceuticals and agro industry sectors. There is no known social organization/association of the sparse Indian community in Guinea.

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October 2024