Digital technology is quite important for the Guinean government. The country already has many digital projects underway, and others waiting for funding to be launched.

Guinea's Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy, Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, met with a delegation from the World Bank led by Franz Drees-Gross, the institution's regional director for infrastructure, on July 18.

The Minister of Digital Affairs sought the support of the global financial institution for the implementation of several digital projects in Guinea, namely the West Africa Digital Integration Project (WARDIP), e-procurement, covering white areas, stimulating competition in telecoms, launching the national telecoms operator Guinea Telecom, and landing a second submarine cable.

Franz Dress-Gross showed a lot of interest in all of these projects, and new interviews were scheduled to expedite ongoing projects. Before this meeting, Ousmane Diagana, the World Bank's Vice President for West and Central Africa, announced the World Bank's intention to increase its funding in the digital economy in Guinea.

"The digital economy is a factor that can be a development accelerator, but also an element to help equalize access opportunities for all citizens to several services. We plan to significantly increase our funding in these areas. Better yet, ensure that existing programs, which are numerous in these sectors, can be executed more quickly," Diagana stated on Monday, July 17, following a working session with Guinea's Prime Minister, Bernard Goumou (pictured in the center).

The talks were held during a two-day visit to Guinea by a World Bank delegation led by Ousmane Diagana. Several topics were discussed during the visit, including job creation, human capital strengthening, and climate resilience consolidation.

Samira Njoya