Guinea
Guinea, sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from other countries with "Guinea" in the name, is a small state in West Africa. With large deposits of natural resources such as gold, diamonds, iron, copper, nickel, uranium and manganese, it has the potential to be one of the richest countries on the continent. But despite its wealth, its inhabitants are destitute. Guinea is considered highly corrupt. This is also confirmed by the figures: In 2017, the state ranked 148th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Experiments with socialism and several years of military rule have left their mark on the country. As late as 2012, poverty affected around 55 per cent of Guinea's population. This share is likely to have increased further because the entire economy stagnated as a result of the Ebola crisis of 2014/15.
Guinea Conakry has recently joined the PSUP and, since 2016, the Government of Guinea with the collaboration of the European Union has been carrying out a strategic plan for future development of the city, the Grand Conakry - Vision 2040. The study is conceived as the preliminary framework for the elaboration of a future Master Plan of Development and Town Planning. Its objective is to define the main direction and the essential themes to consider in order to make Conakry a modern metropolis with a preserved environment.
PSUP will participate by providing proposals and introducing innovative sustainable participatory planning models, tools, and principles (including the principles of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme) adapted to the local context to ensure the sustainable urban development of the city. Different outputs will be achieved through this process, including participatory neighbourhood plans, the implementation of selected pilot projects in a community centred approach, Community Managed Fund Structure, and the identification of priority cities for participation in PSUP and development of Citywide Slum Upgrading Strategies with innovative financing mechanisms for prioritised projects.