• Guinea approves $56 million Chinese loan for “Safe City” security program

• Project to install 324 surveillance sites across eight cities

• System aims to strengthen urban security and emergency coordination

Guinea’s National Transitional Council (CNT) on Friday approved a 385.3 million yuan ($56 million) financing agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China to support the rollout of the “Guinea Safe City” security program. The concessional loan carries a 2% interest rate and a maturity of 20 years. 

The project includes the construction and installation of 324 video surveillance sites across eight cities, along with eight command and monitoring centers that will centralize and analyze data collected by the system.

Authorities also plan to deploy 900 portable terminals for security forces and install 100 mobile terminals in command vehicles to support field operations. Six LTE base stations will be built to provide a dedicated wireless network for the system and ensure secure data transmission.

Digital tools to strengthen urban security

The “Guinea Safe City” program reflects the authorities’ plan to use digital technologies to improve public security management as the country’s cities grow and place increasing pressure on urban infrastructure.

Guinea’s major urban centers—particularly Conakry—generate a large share of economic activity but face persistent challenges linked to crime, traffic congestion and crowd management during public events.

Similar systems have been deployed in several cities across Asia and Africa. Guinea’s platform will rely on integrated infrastructure combining video surveillance, secure communications networks and data analysis tools to support real-time monitoring of sensitive areas and improve coordination among security services.

Beyond security, the system could also help modernize urban management. Authorities say the infrastructure will support traffic monitoring, strengthen emergency response coordination and provide data that can inform urban planning.

Samira Njoya