Guinea country strategic plan (2024–2029)

CSP approved at EB June 2024 session

Guinea is a lower-middle-income country of 13.85 million inhabitants, 62 percent of whom live in rural areas. Despite the country’s considerable agricultural and mineral resources, its population is among the poorest in West Africa and although per capita gross domestic product doubled between 2012 and 2022, poverty grew from 43.7 percent in 2019 to 50 percent in 2022, an increase of more than 1.32 million people. The country emerged from the twin shocks of the Ebola virus disease and low commodity prices and showed resilience in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic but still suffers high levels of malnutrition and vulnerability. With a predominantly young demographic structure, Guinea ranked 182 out of 191 countries in the 2021/2022 Human Development Index.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors contribute 27.3 percent of gross domestic product, 60 percent of total employment and 80 percent of rural incomes. However, 6 percent of the population faces combined crises and emergency levels of food insecurity. Guinea is heavily dependent on food imports, with rice representing 40 percent of all food imports and 5 percent of total merchandise imports. Recent rice export bans and volatility in international food commodity markets further threaten sustainable access to food for the most vulnerable. 

Only 15 percent of school-aged children receive school meals, and the country is still at the early stages of developing a holistic and inclusive national school meals policy. Gender gaps are wide and particularly significant in primary school enrolment and completion rates.

This country strategic plan is based on the strategic orientation of Guinea’s Interim Transition Reference Programme for 2022–2025 1 and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework for 2024–2028. The plan envisages the continuation of WFP support for crisis response, school meals, nutrition, resilience building and technical assistance. WFP will leverage its successful and long-lasting partnerships with the Government and other national and international stakeholders to achieve five country strategic plan outcomes:

➢ Outcome 1: Crisis-affected populations in Guinea can meet their basic and urgent food and nutrition needs before, during and in the aftermath of shocks, by 2029.

➢ Outcome 2: Children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and girls, vulnerable populations, and people at risk of malnutrition in Guinea benefit from better access to healthy diets and essential services to improve their health, nutritional and educational status by 2029.

➢ Outcome 3: Communities whose livelihoods are at risk in Guinea, including smallholder farmers and other nutrition-sensitive value-chain actors, have improved livelihoods and increased resilience to climate change and other socioeconomic shocks by 2029.

➢ Outcome 4: National systems, institutions and actors have strengthened capacities to achieve zero hunger, tackle vulnerability and develop the human capital of Guinea by 2029.

➢ Outcome 5: Humanitarian, development and government partners have access to reliable transport and logistics services to support vulnerable people effectively and efficiently.

Through the country strategic plan, WFP will provide support in strategic areas prioritized by the Government and will seek to respond to gender inequality challenges. In addition to its contributions to Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17, the country strategic plan will enhance Guinea’s ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 5, 11 and 13 and will contribute to all WFP strategic outcomes.