In just a few days, the International Trade Center (ITC) will be leading a trade mission to Guinea from March 8-14, 2025. This mission will provide valuable opportunities for business leaders and entrepreneurs to explore potential partnerships, investment opportunities, and expand trade in Guinea, a growing hub in West Africa.
Guinea, a member of the Mano River Union (MRU), has streamlined trade relations with neighboring countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia through standardized customs tariffs. Furthermore, Guinea is part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc that includes 15 countries—Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. ECOWAS is working to develop a customs union that facilitates the free flow of goods and services among member states, with significant strides made since Guinea adopted the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (TEC) in 2017. This policy harmonizes Guinea’s import taxes with those of other ECOWAS nations and eliminates the need to assess import duties at land border crossings.
Guinea has bilateral investment agreements with Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, China, Egypt, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Serbia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Although Guinea does not have a Bilateral Investment Treaty or Free Trade Agreement with the United States, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United States signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in May 2014. There is no Bilateral Tax Treaty between Guinea and the United States. As of January 2022, Guinea lost its beneficiary status in the United States AGOA Trade Preference Program following the September 2021 coup d’état.
Guinea and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization
Former President Conde created the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Boke in 2017 under the authority of the Autorite de Développement de l’Administration des Zones Economiques et des Zones Industrielles (ADAZZ). Boke SEZ seeks to develop a logistical and international trade hub for the subregion, focused on promoting domestic mineral and agricultural processing sites. The zone’s operation has not been fully defined and lacks funding to develop the zone sufficiently to attract investors. Guinea has no functioning free trade or export processing zones or warehouses. Additionally, a temporary license to conduct free trade transactions can be obtained with special permission from the Ministry of Economy and Finance
The ITC-led trade mission will focus on fostering business connections, promoting economic development, and identifying investment opportunities in Guinea and across the ECOWAS region. It will also serve as a critical platform for discussing Guinea’s trade policies, the development of the Boke SEZ, and other key topics that can shape the future of international trade in the region.
ITC is excited to be at the forefront of this important mission and invites all stakeholders to join in exploring the potential of Guinea as a growing market for international trade.
More information about Guinea is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:
CIA World Factbook Guinea Page
U.S. Embassy
USAID Guinea Page
History of U.S. Relations With Guinea
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Countries Page
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics
Export.gov International Offices Page
Travel Information
