The Guinean Ambassador to Nigeria, Siaka Cissoko, has unveiled a $20 billion portfolio of mega infrastructure and development projects currently underway in Guinea, urging Nigerian companies to seize the opportunity for investment and collaboration.
Ambassador Cissoko made the disclosure during a courtesy visit by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) to the Guinean Embassy in Abuja. He emphasized that the time is ripe for Nigerian firms to take a central role in Guinea’s economic transformation.
“As I speak to you, there is an ongoing mega multibillion-dollar project in Guinea—about $20 billion—that could be handled by Nigerian companies,” the Ambassador revealed.
Highlighting the historical and economic ties between the two West African nations, Cissoko called for renewed vigor in diplomatic and business engagement. “Guinea and Nigeria have a long-lasting bilateral relationship,” he said. “It is a good thing that a credible association like yours, the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria, is paying us a courtesy visit.”
Cissoko noted that many Guinean entrepreneurs often look to Asia for business partnerships due to limited awareness of Nigeria’s business potential. “Our businessmen always go to India, Pakistan, and other Asian countries to look for $5m to $10m opportunities that could easily be found in Nigeria,” he lamented.
He underscored the crucial role of the media in reversing this trend, calling on DICAN to help bridge the knowledge gap and promote economic cooperation. “With this new partnership, Nigerians will be aware of the projects and key into them,” Cissoko stated.
Already, four Nigerian banks—Access Bank, UBA, First Bank, and Polaris—are operating in Guinea, laying a foundation for deeper financial cooperation. The Ambassador also spotlighted the mining sector as a prime area for joint ventures, given both countries’ abundant mineral resources.
“We are great mining countries. Nigerian investors could leverage this and invest in our country,” he said.
He pledged the embassy’s support for DICAN’s charity and professional activities, while encouraging the association to explore the Guinean community in Nigeria. “Whenever we are going there, DICAN will be carried along,” he affirmed.
Responding, DICAN Chairman Fredrick Idehai pledged full collaboration with the Guinean Embassy. “We are ready to share information on their business investments and development as part of the partnership,” he said.
Idehai reiterated DICAN’s commitment to professionalism and humanitarian work. “DICAN doesn’t play politics—we are professionals who keep to the ethics of journalism,” he stated. “We also embark on charity work to impact humanity.”
He emphasized the importance of information dissemination: “You may have the best information about your country, but if you don’t push it out, no one will know what you are doing.”
Guinea and Nigeria have enjoyed strong diplomatic ties since Guinea’s independence in 1958. The current drive toward economic cooperation signals a new chapter in a relationship historically defined by mutual support and regional solidarity.
