Five bridges improve life, work and mobility in Guinea

With almost two million inhabitants, Conakry is the capital of Guinea. A throbbing metropolis and the economic, financial and cultural heart of the West African country. The densely populated port city lies between estuaries and ravines. These natural barriers isolate districts from one another and make travelling to work time-consuming. Hospitals and other amenities are also difficult to access. The construction of five bridges and accompanying roads will improve connections and economic opportunities for inhabitants in a lasting manner.

The bridges will soon connect city districts to one another. They will give residents of the city’s outer areas and surrounding countryside access to the economic heart of Conakry. The project is expected to stimulate private sector development in the city and create economic opportunities for more groups within society. This will help reduce inequalities between countries, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 10.

The challenging project was originally started by the Dutch company Dijkstaal International. The project is now being implemented by Ballast Nedam. It will work with Dijkstaal over the coming years to complete the project.

The bridges project has been partly made possible with financial support from the programme Development Relevant Infrastructure Projects (DRIVE-programme). On 21 April 2021 the Guinean Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Dutch Embassy in Dakar signed a grant agreement worth € 30 million for this. Together with a loan from Invest International and credit insurance from Atradius Dutch State Business (ADSB), the financing has now been secured. Meaning the construction of a safe connection for the inhabitants of Conakry and Coyah can now start.

The new bridges and roads form part of a larger mobility plan for Conakry and the neighbouring Coyah. The total project costs over 60 million EUR and is due for completion in 2025.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Invest International and Atradius Dutch State Business, this project produces benefits on all sides. It generates new business for Dutch companies, and the partnership creates impact in countries where that is needed. This helps us to realize Sustainability Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals.

1.  Detailing the design of roads and bridges.
2. Managing the impact on the bridge and road locations and preparing the sites for construction.
3. Constructing the bridge structures in the Netherlands, civil construction works and assembling the bridges on the sites.

• creating a more sustainable city by reducing traffic on existing roads and making travel safer and faster, thereby improving critical infrastructure and poorly accessible roads in Guinea.
• improving access to jobs, markets, hospitals and other social amenities for the inhabitants of Conakry and Coyah.
• reducing inequality between countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 10 and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure).