• Mamadi Doumbouya sworn in as Guinea’s president on Jan. 17

• He pledges unity, inclusive governance, jobs and institutional integrity

• Guinea faces poverty challenges despite strong growth outlook, World Bank says

General Mamadi Doumbouya was sworn in as Guinea’s president on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. In his inaugural speech, he called for national unity and inclusive governance. “I call for peaceful civic engagement and participatory governance to build a peaceful and prosperous Guinea for ourselves, our children and future generations,” he said.

He said women and young people must play a bigger role in national development and that his priorities were education, vocational training and job creation.

Doumbouya also pledged to govern with integrity, justice and responsibility. “We will build strong, credible institutions that serve the public interest, rooted in responsibility, competence and accountability,” he said.

Economically, challenges remain significant. The World Bank estimates that about 52% of Guineans live below the poverty line. The country is still heavily dependent on mining and faces weak public finances and a still-unstable political environment, despite its economic potential.

Still, Guinea’s economy has proved resilient. In its Guinea Economic Update published in June 2025, the World Bank said it expects growth to pick up in the medium term, driven in part by the start of operations at the Simandou mining project. GDP growth is forecast at 6.5% in 2025, before averaging around 10% in 2026-27. Inflation is expected to slow to about 7% on average between 2025 and 2027. Doumbouya seized power on Sept. 5, 2021, in a coup that ousted President Alpha Condé.

Ingrid Haffiny