Guinea Launches AgriConnect To Boost Food Security

Conakry, April 30, 2026 – The Government of Guinea, in partnership with the World Bank Group, today announced the launch of the Guinea AgriConnect Compact. This integrated strategic framework aims to accelerate sustainable transformation of agrifood systems, strengthen food and nutrition security, create decent jobs, and position agriculture as a key driver of inclusive growth and industrialization.

The initiative is aligned with the 2040 Simandou Agenda, specifically its Pillar 1, which identifies agriculture and livestock as key drivers for economic diversification, export development, and job creation. It is based on a strengthened and complementary coordination approach involving the Government, the World Bank Group through the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), as well as technical and financial partners, the private sector, and producer organizations.

The compact aligns three priorities: rural infrastructure, public reforms and investments, and mobilizing private finance around shared goals for agricultural transformation, job creation, and food security.

“AgriConnect enables a better coordination of the World Bank Group’s instruments – IDA, IFC and MIGA – to support Guinea in a profound transformation of its agriculture,” said Issa Mare Diaw, World Bank Group Resident Representative for Guinea. “By combining reforms, public investment, and private sector engagement, we aim to help build more productive, resilient, and inclusive agri-food systems that can deliver food security while creating jobs.”

Priority value chains identified include rice and poultry – to strengthen food security and reduce reliance on imports – complemented by maize and soybeans as strategic inputs. The compact also supports high-potential diversification and export value chains, including fonio and mangoes.

“With the AgriConnect Compact, Guinea is taking a decisive step forward in positioning agriculture as a central pillar of economic transformation, directly linked to the opportunities offered by the Simandou corridor,” said Aminata Kaba, Minister of Agriculture. “Our ambition is to ensure long-term food security, create decent jobs for youth and women, and promote competitive, resilient and market-oriented agriculture.”

“The livestock sector occupies a strategic place in our food security and import substitution policy, particularly for the poultry sector,” said Félix Lamah, Minister of Livestock. “The AgriConnect Compact will build the capacity of producers, improve access to essential inputs such as maize and soybeans, and develop more efficient and inclusive livestock value chains.”

By 2030, the AgriConnect Guinea Compact aims in particular to contribute to: (i) a significant improvement in food and nutrition security, (ii) the creation of hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the agricultural and agri-food value chains, particularly for young people and women, (iii) the reduction of dependence on imports of staple foods, particularly rice and poultry products, and (iv) the valorization of the export potential of products such as fonio and mangoes.

“The AgriConnect Compact is fully in line with our ambition to build a more resilient, inclusive and prosperous Guinea,” said Mariama Ciré Sylla, Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget. “It reflects our desire to make agriculture and livestock farming real levers for transformation, job creation and economic sovereignty, in line with the Simandou 2040 Program and our national economic diversification agenda.”

AgriConnect is a World Bank Group initiative to help 300 million smallholder farmers around the world to better valorize their crops to increase their incomes by 2030. It is supported by partners such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Bayer, and Google.