• Invest in Guinea Conference took place on 13 June, Westbury Hotel
• Conference concluded with surprise visit by Guinean President Alpha Condé
• Supported by New Leaf Africa and AFCOM
• Focus on promoting transparent, long-term investment opportunities in Guinea

Held under the auspices of New Leaf Africa and AFCOM, the Invest in Guinea Conference welcomed an intimate crowd of 100 journalists, investors, governmental representatives, think tanks, NGOs and mining representatives on 13 June at the Westbury Hotel, London.

The aim of the conference was to promote viable, transparent, long-term investment opportunities in the West African nation through a series of presentations on topics including Environmental Sustainability, Local Sustainability, Developments within Mining and Infrastructure, Country Certification and Financing and Investment Guarantees. Speakers included Guinea HE Senior Minister of Finance and Economy, Dr Kerfalla Yansané; HE Mohamed Lamine Fofana, Minister of Mines, Guinea; Dr Jacqueline Sultan, Hon. Director General of Agriculture, Guinea and Alan Davies, Chief Executive, Diamonds & Minerals, Rio Tinto, Australia. Other speakers also included Al Babbington, CEO of New Leaf Africa, Aaron Jay Fossett, CEO of AFCOM, as well as Ben Caldwell of Eco Partners and Paul Christie, CEO of Visible Earth, among others. For a full list of speakers, please see overleaf.

The conference was wrapped up with a reception, which featured a surprise visit and speech by the President of Guinea, Alpha Condé, who is in the UK for the G8 Summit (17-18 June). President Condé called for greater transparency in supporting trade, particularly timely given both the conference’s and G8’s focus on open governments to support free trade and encourage greater transparency and accountability.

Speaking of the conference, Fossett remarked: “The opportunity for social and economic transformation through responsible investments in Africa is now. The Republic of Guinea is among the most resource-rich countries on the globe and has advanced a transparent government and strong financial management as noted by the recent IMF report. The Invest in Guinea initiative and conference is an ideal platform, providing direct engagement with senior Guinean officials on the immediate pipeline of opportunities available in energy, mining and other sectors.”

Links to individual presentations, photographs and videos of the conference are available at www.guineainvestmentconference.com and for further information on the conference, contact

Neha Desai at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 73992438

Notes for Editors

About President Alpha Condé

Alpha Condé is the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Guinea. The first free and democratic presidential elections of 2010 marked an important date in Guinea’s history, allowing the West African country to initiate a democratic transition and begin to stabilise after more than 50 years of authoritarian rule and a military junta.

An historic opposition figure, defender of human rights and freedom, President Alpha Condé was imprisoned and exiled under the authoritarian regimes that have controlled Guinea since its independence from France in 1958. A former President of the Federation of African students in France (FEANF), a Doctor of Law and Professor at the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the Sorbonne (Paris), President Alpha Condé has dedicated his life to establish a pluralistic democracy in Guinea, and to the defence of rights and freedom. Since his election in 2010, Guinea has undertaken a profound transformation. In just two and a half years, President Alpha Condé has successfully reformed the army, strengthened the rule of law, committed a priority fight against corruption and impunity, and restored the freedom of expression, opinion and demonstration.

President Alpha Condé has also implemented a series of reforms to modernise Guinea, boost the economy and improve the living conditions of its citizens. In just two and a half years, Guinea has made significant progress leading to the stabilisation of its economy and to growth (4.8% in 2012; Guinea ranked in Tier 1 of Global growth by JP Morgan). Since 2010, the Government has reduced the deficit from 13% to 2%, reduced external debt, stabilised the currency, reduced inflation from 23% to 13% and significantly increased customs revenues. Priority reforms to strengthen the mining sector and improve the investment climate have also been initiated. The current revitalisation of the mining sector, which was marked by years of stagnation, mismanagement and corruption, is highly strategic for Guinea. The Government’s goal is to transform the mining potential into better living conditions for the people of Guinea. 

About ‘Invest in Guinea’

The ‘Invest in Guinea’ initiative seeks to foster win-win partnerships and dialogue encouraging economic growth and direct foreign investment in Guinea through a series of briefings and events open to investors, analysts and other interested parties within the business world. By encouraging greater transparency and accountability, under the presidency of Alpha Condé, the mineral-rich West African country has seen a series of reforms, including a reduction in public deficit from 12.6% of GDP in 2010 to 2.5% in 2012, along with a drop in inflation from 21% to 12% in the same years. Adhering to international-standard best practices, ‘Invest in Guinea’ supports long term economic development and sustainability of projects, with the interest of Guinea’s local communities at the forefront.

The ‘Invest in Guinea’ initiative was launched at WEF in Davos in January 2013 where President Alpha Condé was invited to promote transparency and win-win, long-term investments to drive national growth and use the huge natural resources to improve Guinean people’s life. In addition to the Mining Code Briefing of 12 June 2013 in London, previous events include a series of trips abroad (including South Africa in February, the USA in March and the UAE in April) to promote the attractiveness of the Guinean economy and its potential in the mining sector, agriculture, energy and infrastructures.

About New Leaf Africa

New Leaf Africa is a collaboration of leaders in forestry preservation, technology, population health, and renewable energy. The mission of New Leaf Africa is to bring social and economic sustainability to developing countries in the African continent and to lead and support projects that advance access to better health care and education for all. They develop and advise local governments on a strategy that assures all future development is completed in a sustainable manner that maximizes the reduction of greenhouse gasses. New Leaf Africa focuses on projects that advance access to improved health and economic development on a local level. They believe a sustainable future is a balance of ecological integrity, economic opportunity, and human well-being. This holistic approach provides the opportunity for lasting change. For more information visit www.newleafafrica.com

About AFCOM

AFCOM specialises in the development, management, financing and structuring of critical infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the aim of improving the welfare of all stakeholders. Central to AFCOM’s infrastructure development approach is leveraging our sovereign client’s assets by providing value-add and monetisation capabilities. In this context, AFCOM provides ‘best in class’ global expertise and robust execution to provide optimal, timely solutions that will unlock value and unleash economic growth. For more information visit www.afcomgroup.com