Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 49
IV. TRADE POLICY - ANALYSIS BY SECTOR
(1) INTRODUCTION
1. The economic reforms embarked upon by the Republic of Guinea under the structural adjustment programmes in place since 1985 have affected the different sectors of activity to varying degrees. Thanks to the reforms, the agricultural sector is slowly recovering from the adverse effects of nearly two decades of State intervention. Two main objectives are assigned to the agricultural policy currently being implemented: food security - which in Guinea means self-sufficiency, particularly in staples (notably rice) - and winning back the international market shares for agricultural products that have been lost in the meantime because of inappropriate measures. With these aims in mind, quantitative restrictions are applied to imports of potatoes and flat-rate values are applied to others (e.g. rice). The import duties on agricultural products are relatively high (16.6 per cent on average). In addition, a framework project to promote agricultural exports has been launched with assistance from the World Bank. There is government intervention in the cotton sector, which is still not very developed, via a project structure supervised by Compagnie française pour le développement des textiles and, via a State enterprise, in promoting the cultivation of oil palms and rubber trees.
2. In terms of import duties, mining is the sector with the highest average nominal protection rate (Chart III.2). However, the liquidation and privatization of State enterprises have reduced government intervention in the activities of this sector. At present the Société des bauxites de Kindia is the only State enterprise in the sector whose privatization is not being considered; the Government holds no more than 15 per cent of the capital of the other mining companies. The main objective of the mining policy is currently to promote exports of Guinea’s vast mineral resources, after they have been processed locally. With that in mind, a system of taxation in stages (mining tax of 0 to 10 per cent) has been introduced, with the highest rates being applied to exports of unprocessed mineral products. Furthermore, export duties of 2 or 3 per cent are levied on products such as gold, diamonds and other gemstones; these duties amount to GF 25,000/tonne on ferrous scrap and US$8 to 9/tonne on bauxite, compared with US$1.75/tonne on alumina. The Centre for the Promotion and Development of Mining (CPDM), the National Agency for Mining Infrastructure Development (ANAIM) and the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) have the task of promoting activities in this sector. Tax and customs advantages are provided for under the Mining Code in favour of investment in this sector.
3. The manufacturing sector in Guinea is not very well developed, despite the Government’s disengagement from certain activities. Private sector reluctance to take over the privatized industries can be explained by the problems experienced in manufacturing. Apart from the high costs of finance and inputs, the difficulties of obtaining access to credit, the lack of infrastructure and the power cuts, the structure of import duties is not conducive to the development of the sector either. The negative escalation of duties - from unprocessed products, through semi-manufactures, to finished goods - makes imported inputs relatively expensive (unless relief is granted): the average rate of import duties is less high in manufacturing than in other sectors. Furthermore, certain inputs and basic services generally cost more in Guinea than in other countries of the West African subregion (Table IV.1).
4. The services sector, which is dominated by informal trade, contributes more than 50 per cent to Guinea’s real GDP. Although efforts have been made to liberalize the sector, they have been followed up by little in the way of commitments at the multilateral level, which means that the irreversibility of the reforms is not guaranteed. Moreover, the monopolies enjoyed by certain private or mixed enterprises have been sanctioned in the supply of certain services, either de facto (because of WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 50
the small size of the market) or as a transitional step towards future full liberalization. Thus, the Société de télécommunications de Guinée (SOTELGUI), which is currently 60 per cent-owned by Telekom Malaysia Berhard and 40 per cent-owned by the Guinean Government, has a monopoly over the supply of basic telecommunication services. The autonomous port and airport of Conakry are managed by public or semi-public enterprises, where the Government is the majority shareholder.
Table IV.1 Cost of energy and telecommunications in 1995: comparison with neighbouring countries Electricity industry Diesel FF/litre Telephone FF/kWh 1 min France USA Ivory Coast 0.37 2.70 13.90 8.70 Guinea 1.17 3.53 16.50 16.50 Mali 0.55 2.75 30.60 13.60 Senegal 0.55 3.00 13.30 8.00
Source: CEFTE (1997) and Guinean authorities (National Energy Directorate and SOTELGUI).
(2) AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK FARMING, FISHERIES, FORESTRY AND RELATED BRANCHES
(i) General
5. Guinea’s geographical conditions are suitable for the expansion of agriculture: a climate ranging from tropical to subtropical and including savannah; varied relief (including mountains, watercourses and valleys); and an average annual rainfall of more than 1,300 mm. Despite these advantages, only 15 per cent of the available land is cultivated. Agriculture in Guinea is principally a subsistence activity, although a small part of production is exported. Rice is the main crop (accounting for about half of the sown areas). Fonio (hungry rice), maize, cassava, potatoes and groundnuts are the other food crops. The cash crops are cotton, coffee, rubber, palm nuts, and fruit and vegetables. Crop production is generally combined with livestock farming. Guinea possesses territorial waters teeming with fish and substantial forestry resources. However, fisheries and the industrial exploitation of the forests are underdeveloped.
6. Agriculture has not always occupied such a lowly position in Guinea’s economy. In the early 1960s, Guinea was one of the world’s leading exporters of bananas and pineapples. Agriculture met the country’s food requirements and generated 60 per cent of its export earnings. Very soon, the take- off triggered by this sector was interrupted by the implementation of policies which were ill-suited to the country’s economic and social realities - to be more specific, State involvement in the production circuits and marketing channels. The cumbersome administrative procedures associated with these policies, the taxation systems in the form of taxes in kind and the low producer prices discouraged small farmers and caused some of them to leave the countryside. The others mostly devoted themselves to subsistence food crops.
7. Under the structural adjustment programmes introduced as early as 1985, measures were taken to revive activity in the agricultural sector. They enabled the agricultural produce marketing bodies to be abolished, most of the public enterprises operating in the sector to be liquidated or privatized and the price controls which applied to the main agricultural products to be lifted. In 1991 Guinea adopted an Agricultural Development Policy Letter (LPDA), a reference document for any intervention in the sector.1 The priority objectives of this policy are to strengthen food security, preserve the productive base by means of improved management of natural resources, and to revive
1 A document taking stock of the LPDA (LPDA2) is expected to be the subject of a round-table discussion during 1998. LPDA2 is intended to strengthen the position of agriculture in the economy. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 51
export crops. Food security is to be strengthened mainly via a programme to develop rice growing (areas and yields), based on networks providing credit for producers and on the taxation of rice imports (24 per cent import duties and VAT exemption). In addition to the import duties, quantitative restrictions in the form of bans are imposed on imports with a view to developing certain food crops (Section (ii)(a) below).
8. The revival of export crops, for which Guinea possesses comparative advantages, is based on a number of measures such as price incentives for producers, technical expertise, and organizing producers and making them more professional in their approach. A Framework Project for the Promotion of Agricultural Exports (PCPEA) had also been put in place with the assistance of the World Bank (Chapter III(3)(vi)). In view of the difficulties encountered in implementing the PCPEA, the Guinean Government and the World Bank have shifted the emphasis, making the components of the project more operational than institutional. New objectives have been assigned to the project, viz.: strengthening the framework of incentives and eliminating obstacles to the development of agricultural exports; the building or strengthening of infrastructure and improvement of transport, packaging and storage facilities; support for quality and productivity; and the organization and prefinancing of agricultural exports.
9. The Government is currently creating rural infrastructure, particularly tracks, in order to open up the production areas. Extension services are also being provided for producers of export crops. Agricultural income is not taxable. The average rate of import duties in the sector is 16.6 per cent, very close to the overall average for all sectors (16.4 per cent). Inputs and equipment (fertilizer, phytosanitary products, seeds and plant, genetic and fisheries materials, products used in export activities, including wrapping and packaging materials, and fisheries equipment and inputs) enjoy full or partial relief from import duties and taxes.2 Furthermore, at the request of the ministries concerned, equipment and inputs used in livestock production may be granted full or partial relief from import duties and taxes.
10. The contribution of the agricultural sector (crop and livestock production, fisheries and forestry) to real GDP is estimated at around 20 per cent. About 80 per cent of the country’s active population is engaged in this sector. The share of total exports accounted for by agricultural products virtually doubled from 8.6 per cent in 1992 to 16 per cent in 1996. It was mainly exports of coffee and fruit which contributed to this performance.
(ii) Policy according to product category
(a) Food crops
11. The LPDA’s objective is first to provide food security for the population and then cover food requirements in full by the year 2005. In Guinea, rice is at the heart of this policy in view of its importance in terms of food consumption (approximately 90 kg. per person per year). The Government is therefore currently advocating a policy of diversification of food production, in order to reduce the pressure on consumer demand for rice and achieve exportable surpluses by 2010.3 To that end, the Government plans to promote small-scale irrigation, develop the use of improved or
2 Decree D/97/205/PRG/SGG of 18 September 1997 granting relief from import duties and taxes on inputs and equipment for agricultural, fisheries and livestock farming purposes. 3 The attainment of the targets for rice is based on an increase in yields of around 2.2 per cent a year and continuation of the annual rate of increase in the area of land devoted to rice growing. According to Ministry of Agriculture estimates 714,000 ha. are expected to be brought under cultivation in 2005, followed by a coverage of 780,000 ha. (corresponding to the acknowledged rice-growing potential) by 2007. Yields are estimated at 1.79 tonnes/hectare in 2005, with a target of 2 tonnes/hectare in 2010. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 52 selected seed and systems of saving and credit in rural areas, and encourage the marketing of products by providing producers with better information on potential markets.
12. Rice production increased from 500,000 tonnes of paddy in 1995 to 630,000 tonnes in 1996, which pushed the domestic consumption cover ratio up from 54 to 61 per cent. This result was reflected in a reduction in rice imports, which were growing following the introduction of trade liberalization measures (Box IV.1 and Chart IV.1): imports fell from around 290,000 tonnes of rice in 1995 to 211,000 tonnes or thereabouts in 1997, including food aid, which amounted to about 14,000 and 5,700 tonnes respectively (Table IV.2). Output of other products such as fonio, maize, cassava and groundnuts also expanded during the period in question. These results seemed to be due to the increase (averaging 5 per cent a year) in the area of land farmed rather than to higher yields.
Box IV.1: Rice, a strategic commodity in the Republic of Guinea
Owing to the strong demand for rice in Guinea, special requirements are laid down for those who wish to carry on the business of rice importer or distributor. Thus the need for certain provisions currently in place was first felt for the rice trade. This applies, for instance, to the 1994 Law on competition and prices and the Standing National Consultative Committee on Competition and Prices (Chapter III(4)(iii)). To cope with the shortage of consumer goods in Guinea following the change in the political regime in 1984, basic foodstuffs were exempted from all taxes on 17 April 1985. Between 1988 and 1989, a turnover tax was imposed on rice imports. With their profit margins cut, importers created an artificial shortage in order to force up prices. In August 1992, the Government relaxed its position on rice and signed a draft agreement with the importers: taxes fell from 27 to 22 per cent, the lodging of deposits with banks was abolished and the foreign exchange allowances were increased from US$200,000 to 250,000. These measures led to a sharp rise in rice imports between 1992 and 1995. The import duties on rice are currently 24 per cent and the system of allocating foreign exchange has been abolished for all products, including rice. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 53
Chart IV.1 Rice imports, 1993-97
GF millions
100
80
60
40
20
0 1993 94 95 96 1997
Source: WTO Secretariat on the basis of information supplied by the Guinean authorities.
Table IV.2 Imports and average c.i.f. price of rice, 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Commercial imports in tonnes 189,461 192,729 276,678 218,626 205,318 Food aid in tonnes 53,000 76,678 14,074 9,354 5,708 Average c.i.f. price per tonne in US dollars 215 212 301 393 252
Source: Guinean authorities. 13. In order to cope with the scarcity of foodstuffs on local markets during the periods between harvests (June to September) and curb the effects on the most vulnerable population groups (children, women and the elderly), there are plans to improve crop management by setting up a "banque de soudure", to tide people over until the next harvest. The “banque de soudure” has not yet been established, however. Potato imports are prohibited from February to June each year, in order to encourage the sale of local production; flat-rate values apply to rice imports (Chapter III.(2)(iv) and (vii)). The import duties on cereals range from 17 to 24 per cent, with an average of 19.3 per cent.
(b) Cotton
14. In Guinea, cotton growing is not yet developed. The decision taken by the Government in 1985 to make cotton the "the engine of economic development" for the north-western regions, which offer favourable climatic conditions for this crop, has not been followed up with action, as the stabilization of the purchase price for cotton between 1992 and 1995 and the increase in charges, which exceeded the equivalent of 300 kg. of seed cotton per hectare, contributed to the decline in producers’ incomes (Table IV.3). The other problems facing the cotton production sector - which in Guinea is based on family-run farms - include the lack of cultivation equipment, the state of the tracks WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 54
leading to the production areas (which are some way from the urban centres) and the difficulties involved in obtaining access to agricultural credit.
Table IV.3 Basic data on cotton, 1991-97 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 Number of producers 19,901 31,162 27,200 28,932 24,076 23,365 35,375 Area under cultivation (in ha.) 9,260 15,896 13,578 14,047 12,040 12,632 19,183 Production of seed cotton (in tonnes) 12,362 19,672 16,497 15,609 10,738 14,590 24,705 Yield per hectare (kg.) 1,335 1,238 1,215 1,111 892 1,155 1,288 Production of fibre cotton (in tonnes) 5,220 8,238 6,800 6,625 4,543 6,131 10,437 Purchase price (GF/kg.) 290 300 300 300 320 350 370 Charges GF/ha.a 87,000 87,000 99,000 99,000 114,000 105,000 .. Average net income per grower (GF) 135,270 135,248 132,164 108,487 87,650 .. ..
.. Not available. a These charges include repayment of the cost of inputs (e.g. fertilizer and insecticides) supplied to producers on credit. Source: Guinean authorities (National Department of Agriculture).
15. As part of its effort to relaunch the sector, the Government has signed a framework agreement with Compagnie française pour le développement des textiles (CFDT), which currently provides extension services to producers, supplies them with inputs on credit and markets all the cotton produced in Guinea. The agreement provides for the establishment of an operating company, which is expected to replace the project structure. The agreement also provides for the setting-up of a support fund to offset fluctuations in world prices and cyclical factors.
16. The fall in cotton production between 1993 and 1995 led the Government, in agreement with Caisse française de développement (CFD), the main provider of funds for the sector, to postpone the establishment of the operating company, thus enabling activities in the sector to be continued within the framework of the project structure. However, the CFD-financed phase 4 of the cotton project (1996-98), which aims to boost production to 25,000 tonnes of seed cotton for the 1998/99 season, has made it possible to separate the production-related project activities from those involving support for the trade organizations. Under the cotton project in Kankan, which is currently the main production site, equipment is given to the producers by Compagnie française pour le développement des textiles (CFDT). As the main operator, the CFDT determines the cotton price structure in Guinea and provides its assistance in supplying the project with inputs. A hauliers’ association handles the transportation of the cotton whose seeds are collected and marketed by the CFDT.
17. Other solutions provided for by the Government to the problems encountered in the cotton sector include the continuation of the opening-up of the production areas in order to reduce transport costs, improvement of productivity on the farms by increasing the level of technical expertise, greater use of draught animals for cultivation purposes, technical assistance for small farmers’ associations in order to improve the way they operate, and the development of synergies between the production centres in Kankan and Galoul-Koundara.
(c) Coffee
18. Coffee was one of the sectors most affected by the policies formerly followed in Guinea: between 1960 and 1970 coffee exports fell from 16,000 to 4,500 tonnes. In 1998 the Government embarked upon a project, with financial support from France (totalling FF 24 million), aimed at covering 5,000 ha. of plantations a year over the next five years and involving the introduction of improved agricultural equipment and a plantation subsidy system. The subsidy consists of supplying Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 55
growers with fertilizer during the first three years when improved seedlings are used, in order to help them cope with the costs they have to bear until the first crops are harvested.
19. In 1996, 84,000 growers concentrated in the country’s forested region farmed 180,000 ha. of plantations with low yields of around 70 kg./ha. Production ranges between 12,000 and 15,000 tonnes of commercial-grade coffee a year. Hulling and export are taken care of by private firms. Coffee exports are subject to a special tax of US$13/tonne (Chapter III(3)(ii)).
20. The problems currently encountered in this sector include the difficulties involved in obtaining access to agricultural credits and the absence of a dynamic professional structure for supporting producers and exporters.
(d) Rubber and oil palms
21. The decision to develop the cultivation of rubber in Guinea was taken in 1986 as part of the plan to revive export crops. This decision was given practical effect with the establishment in 1987 of a state-owned company, Société guinéenne de palmier à huile et hévéa (SOGUIPAH). This company, which was set up in the forested region, is responsible for creating an agro-industrial complex for the cultivation of oil palms and rubber.
22. SOGUIPAH has established 5,514 ha. of rubber plantations, including 4,477 ha. of industrial plantations and 1,037 ha. of family-run plantations. It provides selected plant material and abundant advice to the growers, whose production it markets (and exports); it also sets the producer prices. In the medium term, the company plans to establish 10,000 ha. of family-run plantations and 4,500 ha. of industrial plantations.
(e) Fruit and vegetables
23. Over the past few years fruit and vegetable exports have increased to around 3,000 tonnes of pineapples, 600 tonnes of mangoes and a few hundred tonnes of melons (including watermelons). However, these figures fall well short of the objectives that were set, namely to regain the market shares that were lost owing to the adoption of an inappropriate policy (Section (i) above). By the year 2000, it is planned that 20,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables should be exported, a programme should be introduced to support the planting of 6,000 ha. a year of family-run cashew tree plantations and the necessary infrastructure should be created to increase exports.
24. Fruit and vegetables are produced mainly on family-run farms. There are very few large plantations. The first phase of the framework project to promote agricultural exports (PCPEA), which was set up with the assistance of the World Bank, was concerned primarily with the fruit and vegetable sector. Under the project, credit is being granted in particular in order to promote exports of these products (Chapter III(3)(ii)).
25. The import duty on fruit and vegetables is 17 per cent.
(f) Livestock farming
26. In Guinea, livestock farming is the second most important rural activity, after crop production. Guinea has about 210,000 livestock farmers. This sector contributes 16 per cent of agricultural value added and 3.2 per cent of total GDP. The annual growth rate in this sector has been around 5.5 per cent since 1994 and is expected, according to the projections of the Ministry of Planning, to increase to 5.6 per cent by the year 2000. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 56
27. The census carried out by the National Livestock Farming Department in 1995 showed that there were around 2.2 million cattle, 468,000 sheep, 739,000 goats, 44,700 pigs and 7 million poultry. Guinea produces some 33,600 tonnes of meat, 1,600 tonnes of eggs and 56,400 tonnes of milk. The meat production covers 58 per cent of domestic requirements, based on average consumption in Guinea estimated at 2.9 grammes of animal protein per head per day. Official exports of livestock products are still low. However, there would appear to be considerable amounts of unofficial exports to neighbouring countries (Liberia and Sierra Leone in particular).
28. The livestock sector has to contend with structural and sometimes institutional constraints, namely the traditional nature of the farming system, the high level of illiteracy among livestock farmers, the poor productivity of local breeds, the fact that there is no policy to introduce improved breeds, the inadequacy of the early warning system in the field (particularly in the event of epidemics), the difficulties involved in making veterinary inputs available, the lack of a coherent system for controlling the quality of livestock products and the inadequacy of credit for the various activities in the sector. In order to deal with some of these problems, the Government prepared a project to restructure the livestock farming sector (PRSE). The PRSE, which was launched in August 1987, is aimed at intensifying livestock production and improving the genetic performance of local breeds, improving the institutional framework and developing new semi-intensive production systems (poultry meat and eggs, pork and milk).
29. The aims of the project address three major concerns: the campaign to achieve food security by increasing output of quality animal products in order to reduce imports and save on foreign exchange; the need to increase incomes among small farmers; and the protection of the environment and conservation of renewable resources by adopting new livestock rearing and farming standards. In order to meet these objectives, the Government has adopted a series of measures, such as the establishment of a veterinary supplies centre (CAVET) in Conakry; the construction of a workshop to produce mineral blocks in Coyah; the construction and fitting out of two livestock vaccination centres in Kankan and Labé; the construction and fitting out of a central veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Conakry; the construction and fitting out of a Livestock Farming Training Centre (CFEL) in Labé; the construction and renovation of ten prefectural livestock farming departments; the creation of livestock farming and marketing infrastructure (e.g. pens, abattoirs, butchering facilities, watering places); the establishment of pilot credit schemes for those involved in the livestock farming industry; the starting up of pilot schemes for poultry and pig farming in Mamou and the forested region of Guinea respectively; the training of managers, farmers and butchers; the organization of vaccination campaigns against the main epizootics; supplying the livestock farming services with veterinary and logistical equipment; and experimenting with fodder crops and the use of crop residues.
30. With regard to regulatory matters, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Farming has introduced a code of practice, seven decrees relating to veterinary activities, in particular the decree4 introducing the veterinary health authorization, whereby the Government gives an approved private veterinary surgeon in independent practice the power to carry out, for it and on its behalf, veterinary health measures for a set period. It has also distributed in Guinea the Livestock Farming and Animals Code, and the ECOWAS Pastoral Code.
31. No taxes are currently levied on exports of livestock products. The import duty payable on live animals is 10 per cent, on meat imports between 2 and 17 per cent, depending on the category (but with an average rate of 16.7 per cent), and on imports of milk and eggs 17 per cent.
4 Decree D/97/214/PRG/SGG of 23 September 1997. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 57
(g) Fisheries
32. Guinea is a coastal country with a 300 km. long shoreline and a 56,000 km.2 continental shelf, which contains substantial fishery resources. It also has a large hydrographic network, including watercourses with an estimated total length of 6,500 km. The freshwater resources offer a potential annual catch estimated at 120,000 tonnes. A recent assessment undertaken by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock estimates the area of water available for shrimp farming at 15,000 ha., of which 6,500 ha. lends itself to industrial-scale operations.
33. The sector may be divided up into the following types of activity: marine fisheries (small- scale and industrial), inland fisheries and fish farming. Inland fisheries are well developed and carried on more or less throughout the country; however, the bulk of the catches come from the River Niger and its tributaries in the Guinea Highlands. Fish farming, on the other hand, despite its great potential, is still in its embryonic stages. Industrial-scale marine fishery is carried out mainly by foreign vessels operating under licences. The few domestic shipowners charter ships.
34. The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock estimated fish catches at 75,320 tonnes in 1996, of which 23,320 tonnes came from industrial fishing and 52,000 tonnes from small-scale fishing. The fisheries sector employs around 1.3 per cent of the active population. Its contribution to GDP formation is only about 0.5 per cent. Performance has been erratic in Guinea, with a 4.9 per cent decline in turnover in 1995 and an increase estimated at 10 per cent in 1997. These poor performances, despite the advantages possessed by Guinea for developing fisheries, can be explained by a number of constraints, in particular the high cost of investment and the lack of finance.
35. Discussions and consultations have been held at both national level and within the industry with a view to reviving the fisheries sector. Areas for medium- and long-term action are fisheries management, increasing fish production for the domestic market and for export and institutional support for the administration of the sector (training and technical assistance). A total of US$56 million has been invested by the Government and its foreign partners for the development of fisheries.
36. Fishery activities are governed by a number of regulations laid down in the Marine Fisheries Code, the framework law on inland and marine fisheries and the relevant implementing texts. The fisheries plan, an instrument for managing and improving marine fisheries, is drawn up annually by the National Fisheries Department. The storage and marketing of fisheries products are governed by a number of texts, including the fishery products health regulations, the definition of the conditions concerning the granting of technical approval for the facilities for processing and preserving fishery products and for ice-making plants, and the texts relating to the inspection and verification of good laboratory practices.
37. As part of its effort to promote the rural sector, the Government has taken measures to exempt from duties and taxes certain inputs, equipment and fuel used for the fisheries sector (Section (i) above). Like crop and livestock farming, fisheries is also part of Guinea’s food security strategy. In this context significant results have been achieved in terms of fisheries, with annual per capita fish consumption increasing from 7.4 kg. in 1989 to around 13 kg. in 1996. This level of consumption is above the African average (8.1 kg.) and also above that of West Africa (11.3 kg.). However, it is below the average consumption figure for Guinea’s coastal neighbours, which is estimated at 22.2 kg. per person per year.
38. The duty on fish and crustacean imports is 17 per cent. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 58
(3) ENERGY AND MINING SECTORS
(i) Mining
39. Guinea possesses numerous mineral resources. Bauxite reserves are estimated at 25 billion tonnes, of which 18 billion are proven. Gold reserves total around 1,000 tonnes (of which 500 tonnes are proven) and diamond reserves amount to 30 million carats (of which 4 million are definite). Iron ore potential is estimated at 10 billion tonnes, of which 880 million are definite. There are also signs of numerous other minerals in Guinea, including nickel, titanium, limestone, chromium, copper, uranium, graphite, corundum and solid sulphide.
40. Until the mid-1980s the mining sector was the driving force behind the Guinean economy and alone accounted for more than a third of GDP, 90 per cent of export earnings and 80 per cent of government revenue. Although Guinea’s economy is still dominated by this sector, its importance has declined somewhat: it contributes only about 20 per cent to real GDP formation and less than 30 per cent to government revenue, but still accounts for more than 90 per cent of exports. The slump in world prices, the run-down state of the equipment and the low level of investment are the main reasons for the fall in production and exports of bauxite and alumina: exports declined from US$530 million in 1990 to US$448 million in 1996 (Table IV.4). Guinea is still, however, the world’s second producer of bauxite, after Australia.
Table IV.4 Exports of mineral products, 1989-97 (In millions of tonnes or thousands of carats and US dollars) 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Bauxite tonnes 14.5 13.6 13.6 12.5 13.8 12.2 13.6 14.0 13.6 $ 415.1 383.8 489.9 407.6 421.4 272.0 300.9 309.0 322.1 Alumina tonnes 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 $ 96.7 116.2 101.9 102.3 108.9 88.2 96.3 103.0 94.5 Diamonds carats 162.9 146.4 108.5 143.5 462.7 394.8 457.1 388.5 417.1 $ 56.2 45.2 36.0 28.7 45.2 31.9 34.7 38.8 56.9 Gold tonnes 2.8 4.9 5.4 5.1 3.9 5.6 6.9 6.8 3.9 $ 32.2 56.6 57.0 50.2 39.9 69.4 83.6 81.3 37.8
Source: Guinean authorities (National Mines Directorate).
41. The sector is dominated by: Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée (CBG) and Société des bauxites de Kindia (SBK) for bauxite; ALUMINE FRIGUIA for alumina; Société aurifère de Guinée (SAG) and Société minière de Dinguiraye (SMD) for gold; and First city mining (FCM) and Hydro mineral exploitation (HYMEX) for diamonds. SBK is the only State-owned mining company which it is not planned to privatize. CBG and ALUMINE FRIGUIA are in the process of being privatized and the Government holds, at the very most, 15 per cent of the capital of the other companies in the sector, the remaining shares being held by foreign companies. There is currently a considerable amount of gold and diamond prospecting activity being undertaken by foreign groups such as De Beers (South Africa), CH Findelstein and Co. (Belgo-Canadian), Reunion mining (British), Ashanti Goldfields (Ghanaian) and Sainte Geneviève (Canadian). There is also a certain amount of small- scale prospecting activity carried out by a hundred or so holders of individual extraction permits panning for gold and diamonds.
42. The National Agency for Mining Infrastructure Development (Agence nationale d’aménagement des infrastructures minières - ANAIM) was set up in 1997 to replace the Office d’aménagement de Boké (OFAB). Its tasks are to propose harmonization of the Mining Code with the Investment, Labour and Environmental Codes and finance the inventory of Guinea’s geological and mineral resources and also marketing operations. The Geological Mining Research Bureau (Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières - BRGM) has the tasks of producing maps and carrying out a Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 59
geological survey of north-eastern Guinea; the Centre for the Promotion and Development of Mining (Centre de promotion et de développement miniers - CPDM), which operates as a “single window”, is responsible for promotion, advice and support for investors.
43. The objectives of the policy reflected in the Mining Code, which was promulgated in 1995 (Chapter II(4)(iii)), are twofold: to promote exports of mineral products processed locally and to step up mining activities which comply with certain environmental standards. Thus the granting of mining or quarrying rights is subject to the payment of a fixed charge and a fee related to the area of land in question. Similarly, any mineral substance extracted is subject to a mineral tax, the rate of which and methods of calculation vary according to the substance. This tax, which does not apply to precious substances mined on a non-industrial scale, is deductible from the taxable profit. The rate varies between 0 and 10 per cent of the f.o.b. or final selling value, depending on whether the substance is exported or sold locally, in the natural state or after processing: the highest rates apply to unprocessed exports.
44. The small-scale miners sell their diamonds either to “collectors” who sell them on to agents, or directly to approved agents. The mining companies sell their diamonds at auctions, in which external clients and the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea (BCRG) take part. The diamonds and gold that are produced on a non-industrial scale are exported by the BCRG (Chapter III(3)(ii)). An export tax is levied on the gold, diamonds and other gemstones produced on a non-industrial scale. The rate is 2 per cent on the gold exported by the Central Bank, 3 per cent on that exported by the private sector and 3 per cent on diamond exports. The export tax on bauxite is US$8 to 9/tonne, compared with only US$1.75/tonne for alumina (or US$0.5/tonne for processed bauxite exported). Exports of ferrous scrap are subject to duties of GF 25,000/tonne and those of gold to prior authorization by the BCRG.
45. Mining operations are subject to the tax on industrial and commercial profits at the rate of 35 per cent, the tax on additional profits, the tax on income from securities (IRVM), and to charges and taxes on wages. A deduction at source in full discharge of all other taxes is made on the salaries of expatriate staff at the rate of 10 per cent of the salaries paid in Guinea and outside Guinea; the fees paid to foreign companies or individuals not established in Guinea are also subject to this treatment. On the other hand, mining companies are granted tax and customs concessions (Chapter II(4)(iii)); they are granted conventional TSPP rates on the petroleum products they use as well as conventional duty rates on vehicle imports (Chapter III(2)(iv)(e)).5
(ii) Petroleum products and natural gas
46. Geological studies have revealed sedimentary formations which are considered promising for hydrocarbons. The Guinean Hydrocarbon Company (Société guinéenne des hydrocarbures - SGH), whose capital was divided between the Government, Union Texas Petroleum, Superior Oil and Mobil, used to be responsible for exploring an area of 36,000 km2. SGH has already been dissolved. So far, all petroleum products consumed in Guinea have been imported. In 1995 imports amounted to 555,321 tonnes, divided up roughly as follows: 52 per cent fuel oil, 21 per cent diesel, 18 per cent petrol and 9 per cent kerosene (Table IV.5).
5 The conventional rates are negotiated between the Government and the companies concerned. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 60
Table IV.5 Imports of petroleum products, 1990-95 (In tonnes) 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Petrol 77,483 66,659 57,321 77,178 78,700 100,941 Diesel 99,270 87,508 98,755 151,524 126,041 114,024 Fuel oil 334,551 306,338 286,360 295,512 316,477 290,851 Kerosene 8,565 17,724 37,940 55,717 45,784 49,505
Source: Guinean authorities (National Energy Department).
47. Reforms were carried out in 1992 to improve the conditions of supply and contain costs. Private firms were then authorized to assume transport and distribution functions; joint bodies are responsible for importing and storage functions. Management of imports is placed under the aegis of an Imports Committee consisting of representatives of the oil companies, the Ministries of Trade and Finance, the Central Bank and the Office of the President of the Republic. This Committee organizes the invitations to tender for the supply of petroleum products, and supervises their stocks. The Guinean Petroleum Company (Société guinéenne des pétroles - SGP), a semi-public company owned by the Government, SHELL, ELF, TOTAL, PETROGUI and MOBIL, deals with all operations involving the importing, storage and bulk delivery of petroleum products.6 The transport and distribution functions are taken care of by the oil companies SHELL, ELF, TOTAL, LENOIL and PETROGUI, and by Guinean private enterprises. In 1996 there were 200 petrol stations in Guinea, including 30 in Conakry.
48. The prices of petroleum products are laid down by a joint committee consisting of the oil companies and representatives of the Ministry of Economics and Finance, the Ministry responsible for trade, and the BCRG. The profit margins allowed for transport, distribution and retail sales are laid down for each of the products. In order to maintain a single, stable selling price throughout the country, a stabilization fund receives or pays the difference between the selling prices, on the one hand, and the costs, including the marketing charges and the various taxes, on the other.
49. The prices of petroleum products at the beginning of 1998 were GF 850 for petrol and GF 700 for diesel and kerosene. The special tax on petroleum products (TSPP) is GF 355/litre for petrol, GF 245/litre for diesel, GF 160/litre for petroleum oil and GF 135/litre for kerosene. Total taxes account for 60.2 per cent of the selling price for petrol, 55.5 per cent for diesel and 42.3 per cent for kerosene (Table IV.6).
6 SGP’s capital is divided up as follows: the Government 7 per cent, SHELL 17 per cent, TOTAL 17 per cent, ELF 17 per cent, MOBIL 13 per cent, PETROGUI 13 per cent and LENOIL 16 per cent. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 61
Table IV.6 Structure of the prices of petroleum products, October 1996 (In Guinean francs) Petrol Diesel Kerosene C.i.f. price 177.70 190.50 196.07 CREDOC costs 2.13 2.29 2.35 PAC costs 1.37 1.57 1.48 SGS inspection 1.47 0.55 1.58 Transport to depot 13.00 13.00 13.00 Losses and leakages 2.58 1.30 1.72 Storage taxes 1.78 1.91 1.96 Customs services 0.12 0.12 0.12 DFE 14.22 15.24 15.69 DDE 12.44 13.34 13.72 TCA 0.00 0.00 0.00 RTL 3.55 3.81 3.92 TSPP 355.00 245.00 160.00 VAT levied on imports 101.64 84.56 70.44 RCE 0.98 0.73 0.53 Gross margin distribution 55.00 55.00 55.00 Transport cross-subsidization 45.00 45.00 45.00 Retail margin 28.00 28.00 28.00 VAT collected 125.39 102.51 102.51 Total cost 839.73 720.85 642.64 Official retail price 850.00 700.00 700.00 Stabilization fund 10.27 -20.85 57.36
Source: Guinean authorities (National Energy Department).
50. The import duties vary from 2 to 17 per cent according to the nature of the crude product: the duty is 17 per cent on semi-finished and finished products.
51. Consumption of butane in Guinea is low, with annual imports amounting to around 350 tonnes. Up until 1994, SOGEDI was the main firm engaged in importing and marketing butane. It owned the only gas-bottling plant in the country. Imports came by boat from Rouen and, in bulk, by truck from Dakar. SAFINCO-PRIMAGAZ and CAMPING GAZ had a very small share of the market. In 1994, the oil company TOTAL bought back SOGEDI’s butane shares and the storage and filling facilities. The mining companies also import butane for their own consumption. They have their own storage and filling facilities.
(iii) Electricity
52. Guinea has considerable, though underexploited potential in terms of hydroelectric power amounting to around MW 13,000. Nevertheless, owing to low investment and lack of maintenance of existing infrastructure, electricity supplies remain inadequate, even though efforts have been made since 1997 to reduce the frequency of power cuts. Total energy capacity currently installed in Guinea is MW 245.4, of which 21.3 per cent is hydro power and 78.7 per cent of thermal origin.
53. In 1987, the National Electric Company (Société nationale d’électricité - SNE) was transformed into a public industrial and commercial enterprise called Energie électrique de Guinée (ENELGUI), with its own legal personality and management autonomy. In the light of ENELGUI’s lacklustre results, the Government has partially withdrawn from the sector. Thus in 1994, ENELGUI became a “société publique de patrimoine” (public asset-holding company). At the same time a joint operating company was set up, Société guinéenne d’électricité (SOGEL), with 33.4 per cent of its capital held by the Guinean Government and 66.6 per cent by an international consortium (HQI, WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 62
SAUR and EDF). Its task is to run the public electricity service under the terms of a concessionary agreement.7
54. Total output in 1995 was GWh 723, of which 33.8 per cent came from hydro power and 66.2 per cent was of thermal origin. SOGEL produced 38.5 per cent of the electricity, including all the hydro power; the mining sector produced 46.4 per cent of the total and the other private producers the remaining 15.1 per cent. In 1995 SOGEL had 56,225 private consumers and 1,562 public authority consumers. A total of 74 per cent of customers are concentrated in the Conakry-Kindia grid. Households account for 67.43 per cent of consumers, followed by commercial (12.12 per cent), industrial (0.26 per cent) and public authority (21.19 per cent) customers. The prices at which electricity are sold are established jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy and the Ministry of Finance (Table IV.7).
Table IV.7 Electricity prices, March 1998 (Costs and prices in GF, and consumption in kWh) Standing charge Consumption Price (tariff) a Low voltage 1-120 90 single-phase consumers 1,322 121-600 232 three-phase consumers 3,970 > 600 265 Medium and high voltage 2,413 226
a Price per kWh. A single rate of GNF 232/kWh is applied to the public authorities. Source: Guinean authorities (National Energy Department).
55. Since 1 July 1996 and up until 1999, SOGEL is exempted from payment of the specific tax on petroleum products and from all charges, duties and taxes existing in the “customs cordon”. The duty on electricity imports (so far non-existent) is 17 per cent.
56. The Government intends to continue with liberalization of the sector by encouraging private sector participation in power generation in order to lower costs and reduce imports of petroleum products. The emphasis is on rehabilitating existing power stations but above all on building new hydroelectric power plants and developing renewable sources of energy.
(4) MANUFACTURING SECTOR
57. Guinea’s manufacturing sector contributes less than 3 per cent to real GDP formation. Just after the political regime changed in 1984, the industrial sector comprised 42 firms, all under government control. Most of these firms were involved in the agri-foodstuffs branch. Only 23 of them were operating and six were producing operating surpluses. The disengagement of the Government, which started under the structural adjustment programmes, resulted in 30 firms being privatized, ten being liquidated and two others being restructured, with the Government retaining a small interest.
58. In order to deal with some of the constraints which still affect the development of the sector, such as the limited supply of credit, the inadequacy of basic infrastructure (e.g. power cuts) and its cost, and the lack of entrepreneurial know-how, the Government set up the Office for the Promotion of Private Investment (OPIP), to promote both foreign and domestic investment in Guinea. The Centre de formalités des entreprises, a “single window”, comes under the aegis of the OPIP. In 1991 the Government drew up an industrialization plan based on developing exportable production and exploiting natural resources and local raw materials in Guinea. This plan, which was prepared with
7 Law 93/039/CTRN entitles private firms to negotiate concessionary contracts with the Government. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 63
the technical assistance of the UNDP and UNIDO, is based on a strategic management approach to industrial development, which is defined both as a process of organizing relations between those involved (consulting all of them) and as a process of acting upon the development environment (improving the competitiveness of industrial firms and promoting new activities).
59. Coordination and concerted action between those involved in industrial development enabled investment opportunities to be identified in 17 sectors.8 Accordingly, 98 projects were presented by the Government and Guinean private promoters at the Investors Forum held in Conakry from 26 to 29 May 1998, which was attended by 234 foreign investors representing more than 30 countries but also by international funding agencies. A total of 306 letters of intent were recorded at this Forum.
60. The negative escalation of import duties (Table AIV.1), which makes imported inputs relatively expensive (subject to relief being granted), is one of the main factors inhibiting the development of the manufacturing sector in Guinea, as the import duties levied on most manufactured products vary between 15 and 17 per cent. The import duty on medicines and school-related articles is 10 per cent but these products are exempt from VAT. However, semi-finished agricultural products (e.g. flour and other milled products and oils) are subject to import duties which may be as high as 32 per cent. In addition, consumption surcharges varying from 5 to 70 per cent apply to certain imported products (beverages, tobacco, paints, cosmetic products, jewellery, audio equipment, corrugated iron, vehicles and toys).
(i) The agricultural processing industry
61. The agricultural processing industry is the main branch of the manufacturing sector in Guinea and involves nearly 40 per cent of firms. The beverages market is dominated by four firms: Société des brasseries de Guinée (SOBRAGUI), BONAGUI, Compagnie des eaux de Guinée (CEG) and Société arabe-lybo-guinéenne d'industrie (SALGUIDIA). The first three are subsidiaries of foreign groups. SOBRAGUI, which has 90 per cent of the market, produces carbonated drinks and beer under licence (Skol, Guilux and Guinness). Its beer output amounts to 120,000 hectolitres, compared with an installed capacity of 170,000 hectolitres, and its production of carbonated drinks amounts to 20,000 hectolitres, compared with an equivalent capacity. SOBRAGUI owns a pineapple plantation, which produces around 3,000 tonnes a year for the European market. Société agro-industrielle de Guinée (SAIG), which used to produce passion flower, mango, orange and tomato concentrates, is closed until a private buyer can be found. The average duties on imported beverages are 16.7 per cent. A consumption surcharge is applied to most imported beverages at a rate of 10 to 70 per cent.
62. Société des grands moulins de Guinée (GMG), which produces flour from imported wheat, is today going through a difficult period and receives financial support from the Government. It also enjoys strong tariff protection as the duties on imported wheat flour are 32 per cent.
63. Palm oil and soap are manufactured by Société guinéenne de palmier à huile et d'hévéa (SOGUIPALM), which produces more than 1,000 tonnes of oil and soap annually. A project to extend the oil mill/soap factory is under way, as is the construction of a plant to produce dry rubber. Société générale de commerce et d'industrie légère (SOGECILE) has been in operation since 1995. It produces between 24,000 and 30,000 bars of soap annually. It enjoys strong tariff protection, as the duty on most imported oils for human consumption is 32 per cent; the duty is 17 per cent on soap.
8 Fruit and vegetables, fatty substances, cereals, tubers, coffee/cocoa, wood, fisheries, livestock farming, leather, beverages, textiles, chemicals, medicines, construction materials, metal processing and printing. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 64
64. Culinary products (cooking stock) are manufactured by two companies, Nestlé Guinée, and Barry and Diallo. Barry and Diallo has the largest market share. Nestlé Guinée imports and also markets the group’s products, mainly on the domestic market but also in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. Import duties of 17 per cent are levied on most of the products in this category.
65. Entreprise des tabacs de Guinée (ENTAG) is the only cigarette producer in Guinea. Coralma International holds 34 per cent of its capital, Rothmans 17 per cent, the Guinean Government 4 per cent, Proparco 3 per cent and 42 per cent is in the hands of private Malian investors. It produces 1.5 billion cigarettes annually and has an installed capacity of 2.2 billion. Production is intended solely for the Guinean market. The duty on imported cigarettes is 17 per cent. A 60 per cent consumption surcharge is applied to most imported products.
(ii) The construction materials and metal goods industries
66. Guinea possesses numerous raw materials which can contribute to the development of the construction materials industries. The country is rich in mineral resources such as granite, clay, sand (for construction and glass-manufacturing purposes), laterite, limestone and slate. The sector is dominated by one company, Ciments de Guinée, whose capital is 51 per cent owned by the Holderbank group, 44 per cent by the Guinean Government and 5 per cent by Guinean private investors. Cement production, which is intended solely for the local market, amounted to 270,000 tonnes in 1994. Since production capacity is stretched to the limits, a silo has been built at the port of Conakry to store imports; this brings the storage capacity to 600,000 tonnes. The import duty on cement is 15 per cent.
67. Gravel and granitic sand are quarried and marketed by six Guinean private companies. Similarly, two private firms supply alluvial sand, which is produced on a small scale using traditional methods. A project to relaunch the EGUIMAT tile-making factory is being studied. The duty on imports of equivalent products is 17 per cent.
68. The sheet roofing market amounts to around 30,000 tonnes/year. Five local firms supply half the country’s needs. This sector is dominated by two companies: Métal Guinée, whose main shareholder is Métal Ivoire SA, and Guinéenne d’Industrie (GDI), which also makes bowls and buckets. The other market segments - such as concrete-reinforcing bars, metal doors, windows, frames, etc., metal-working and boiler-making/pots and pans, and the manufacture of spare parts - are divided up among about ten local firms. The import duty on semi-finished products is 17 per cent and varies between 2 and 17 per cent on imported finished products (average 16.5 per cent). A 5 per cent consumption surcharge applies to imported corrugated iron.
(iii) The chemical industries
69. The chemical industries concentrate on the production of plastics, lubricants, paint and medicines. The plastics industry comprises ten or so local firms which complement rather than compete with one another in terms of production. The main manufactured products are packaging, household articles, tubes and pipes, footwear and foam mattresses. Local consumer demand for the goods produced by this industry is, however, satisfied mainly by imports. The import duty on these products is 17 per cent.
70. Société guinéenne de lubrifiants et d’emballages (SOGUILUBE) is the only firm producing lubricants. Its capital is 50 per cent owned by the Guinean Government and 50 per cent by SHELL. It markets products under the SHELL and TOTAL brand names. SOGUILUBE also manufactures packaging (steel drums, cans and caps) for petroleum products and by-products. The import duty on similar products is 17 per cent. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 65
71. The four firms which used to produce medicines in Guinea ceased production in 1986. Three of them, SEQUINA (for the manufacture of quinine) and SOGUIPHARM and SOGIP (for the manufacture of generic medicines), could start up again. Société industrielle, commerciale africaine de Guinée (SICAF) has a project involving a unit for impregnating mosquito nets. The import duty on medicines is 10 per cent; medicines are exempt from VAT.
(iv) The textile and clothing industries
72. The textiles market in Guinea, which is estimated at 52 million metres/year, is dominated by imports from Asia as the country’s only textiles firm is no longer operating (a buyer is still being sought). The import duty on most textile products is 17 per cent; on some semi-finished products the rate is 10 per cent. As is the case with most industries, the negative escalation of customs duties (Table AIV.1) is not conducive to the development of the sector. A 20 per cent consumption surcharge applies to most imported products.
73. The leather goods market is in an identical situation. The only industrial unit has ceased production. The tanning industry is being restructured following its recent privatization; the footwear manufacturing industry is looking for a buyer. The import duty on leather goods is 17 per cent. A 20 per cent consumption surcharge is levied on certain articles (such as those made of natural leather and sports goods).
(v) The paper, publishing, wood and wood products industries
74. The paper and publishing industries are currently expanding rapidly as a result of the change of political regime and the liberalization of economic activities. About twenty locally or foreign- owned firms operate in this sector. Some have modern equipment. Capital projects involving the paper and publishing industries concern the modernization and extension of the SCIK and LANIG printing works, and the establishment of a plant for recycling honeycombed cardboard paper for egg packaging and a unit for producing school exercise books and printed forms. The duty on imported products is 17 per cent, except for school books, exercise books, dictionaries and encyclopaedias, where the rate is 10 per cent and which may be exempt from VAT.
75. There are only two industrial firms in the wood and wood products industries, whose output (solely constructional timber) covers only half the country’s requirements, which are estimated at more than 100,000 m3/year. The other activities involving wood and wood products are on a non-industrial scale. The country has numerous small sawmills and small joinery and cabinet making workshops. The import duty on wood products is 17 per cent.
(5) SERVICES
76. The services sector contributes more than 50 per cent to real GDP formation. This sector is dominated by commerce, an activity which is still largely informal and contributes more than a quarter to GDP formation. Guinea has considerable potential for developing shipping and tourism services.
77. The measures concerning the methods for supplying certain services have been the subject of specific commitments by Guinea under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (Table IV.8). WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 66
Table IV.8 Schedule of Specific Commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Services Cross-border supply Consumption abroad Commercial presence Presence of natural persons LIMITATIONS ON MARKET ACCESS Veterinary services None Unbound Subject to prior None other than veterinary approval of the dispensaries Minister responsible for livestock farming Sanitation services Unbound None None Unbound Sewage services Unbound None None Unbound Training centre for None None None None handicapped persons Hotels Unbound None None Unbound except for measures affecting managers and senior technical experts Tourist guide services Unbound None None Unbound Passenger None Unbound None Unbound except for transportation measures affecting the entry and temporary stay of managers, senior executives and specialists from a foreign parent company Freight transportation Unbound Unbound None Unbound except for measures affecting the entry and temporary stay of managers, senior executives and specialists from a foreign parent company Maintenance and None Unbound None Unbound repair of transport equipment
LIMITATIONS ON NATIONAL TREATMENT Veterinary services None Unbound Obligation to have a None other than veterinary training programme dispensaries for veterinary auxiliaries Sanitation services Unbound None None Unbound Sewage services Unbound None None None Training centre for None None None None handicapped persons Hotels Unbound None None None Tourist guide services Unbound None None None Passenger None Unbound None Unbound except for transportation measures affecting the entry and temporary stay of managers, senior executives and specialists from a foreign parent company Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 67
Services Cross-border supply Consumption abroad Commercial presence Presence of natural persons Freight transportation Unbound Unbound Prior approval of the Unbound except for Ministry of Transport measures affecting the entry and temporary stay of managers, senior executives and specialists from a foreign parent company Maintenance and None Unbound None Unbound repair of transport equipment
Source: WTO document, GATS/SC/102, 30 August 1995.
(i) Transport services
78. The transport sector contributes less than 4 per cent to real GDP formation. It has grown at an annual rate of around 5 per cent in recent years. Maritime transport, which is the means used for the bulk of Guinea’s international merchandise trade, is relatively developed, the other types of transport less so.
(a) Maritime transport
79. In Guinea, 95 per cent of the goods transported (whether imports or exports) travel by ship. The country has two deep-water ports: Conakry and Kamsar. Kamsar is an ore terminal and is used mainly for exporting the bauxite mined by Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée (CBG), which manages the port. The Autonomous Port of Conakry (PAC) is a State-owned company responsible for managing the capital’s port. All port-related activities (transit, consignment, handling and transport) have been privatized.
80. The PAC has a terminal with a capacity of 52,000 containers/year, an oil wharf with a capacity of 2 million tonnes/year, an ore terminal with a capacity of 3.6 million tonnes/year occupied by Société des bauxites de Kindia (SBK) and 12 docks. This capacity is underused. In 1996 the dock occupancy rate was around 50 per cent and traffic amounted to 27,265 containers. Oil imports handled by the port totalled 465,342 tonnes and bauxite exports 1.9 million tonnes. Just over 600 ships call at the port every year and stay for an average of seven days. In 1996 the volume of merchandise traffic was 4.1 million tonnes, compared with around 5 million tonnes in the late 1980s (Chart IV.2). This reduction in the tonnage handled by the port of Conakry is a result of the fall in Guinea’s mineral exports (FRIGUIA and Société des Bauxites de Kindia have suffered a 15 to 20 per cent drop in their production and exports over the period in question). WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 68
Chart IV.2 Merchandise traffic through the Autonomous Port of Conakry (PAC), 1986-96
Millions of metric tonnes
6
5
4
3
2
1
0 19868788899091929394951996
Source: WTO Secretariat on the basis of information supplied by the Guinean authorities.
81. Shipping is the responsibility of a State-owned company, Société navale guinéenne (SNG), for freight other than ores, and of a semi-public company, GUINOMAR (Guinea-Norway), for the transportation of ores. SNG does not own any ships; it negotiates traffic rights in accordance with the UNCTAD Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences and manages Guinea’s share in this matter. SNG owns 40 per cent of the capital of the Guinean Consignment and Handling Company (Société guinéenne de consignation et de manutention - SOGUICOM),9 which operates at the port of Conakry, and 30 per cent of that of the transit company, Grouping of Maritime and Air Transport Companies (Groupement des entreprises de transports maritimes et aériens - GETMA). Guinea takes part in the Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States (CMEAOC), whose aim is to support the member countries’ maritime transport policies. CMEAOC took the initiative of setting up, for instance, the national shippers' committees and the port committees.
82. Inter-State river transport takes place with the Republic of Mali on the Rivers Niger and Milo only during the rainy season (July to October). The routes travelled are Kankan-Siguiri-Bamako and Kouroussa-Siguiri-Bamako. This river transport has various difficulties to contend with, such as the very marked silting-up of the two riverbeds and the non-functional state of the infrastructure, in particular the port buildings in Kouroussa.
83. Coastal cabotage is free in Guinea, subject to prior authorization. The cost of maritime and river transport services is fixed by the operators, meeting as corporations (e.g. the Organisation des consignataires and the Organisation des manutentionnaires). Guinea is a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
9 The remainder of SOGUICOM’s capital is divided between private shipping companies: Baco-Liner 27.3 per cent; Grimaldi-Méditerranée 19 per cent and Grimaldi-Cobelfret 13.7 per cent Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 69
(b) Air transport
84. Guinea has an international airport (Conakry), and 15 airfields in the interior of the country. Conakry Airport has an international terminal with the capacity to handle 600,000 passengers a year, a domestic terminal with the capacity to handle 200,000 passengers a year and a freight terminal with a capacity of more than 6,000 tonnes. These facilities are clearly underused, as traffic in 1996 amounted to only 207,000 passengers (6,644 international flights and 5,190 domestic flights) and 3,400 tonnes of freight. The Conakry Airport Master Plan aims to increase the number of passengers to more than 460,000 and the amount of freight to more than 10,000 tonnes by the year 2000.
85. The airport is managed by Société de gestion et d’exploitation de l’aéroport de Conakry (SOGEAC), a semi-public company set up in 1996, whose capital is 51 per cent owned by the Guinean Government, 29 per cent by Aéroports de Paris (ADP) and 20 per cent by Caisse française de développement. SOGEAC operates with the assistance of Aéroports de Paris. The Agence de la navigation aérienne (ANA) is responsible for the safety, regularity and efficiency of air transport on Guinean territory but also for managing the domestic airfields. It is a financially autonomous public enterprise. The refuelling of aircraft is taken care of by Société mixte de carburant d'aviation de Guinée (SOMCAG), which is 49 per cent owned by the Guinean Government and 51 per cent by TOTAL.
86. Air transport activities are governed by the June 1995 Civil Aviation Code.10 The Code deals with the construction and operation of airfields, aeronautic constraints, responsibilities with regard to airfields, the legal arrangements governing aircraft, air traffic regulations, the technical conditions governing the operation of aircraft, freedom of movement of aircraft, the regulations governing flight crews, their qualifications, working conditions and liability, contracts governing the transport by air of passengers and goods, and liability and penalties. Anyone who wishes to set up an airline in Guinea must be a Guinean national, have the required qualifications (or be associated with a qualified partner), and lodge a security with an approved bank in Guinea covering the insurance costs and operating costs for the first three months. In addition to satisfying these conditions, the person in question must submit a written application to the Ministry responsible for civil aviation, together with the articles of association of the company and details of how it is organized.
87. Guinea is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Fir de Robest, which has its head office in Conakry and whose other members are Liberia and Sierra Leone.
88. The foreign presence and the traffic rights granted to foreign airlines which serve Guinea are governed by bilateral agreements between Guinea and its partners. Guinea has signed such agreements with 39 countries, of which 16 are still in force. These agreements generally deal with joint operation between Guinea’s national airlines and the airlines of the countries in question (third and fourth freedom rights). Twelve airlines are authorized for domestic traffic and traffic involving neighbouring countries (seven neighbouring countries), but only four of them are operational, namely Air Guinée, a State-owned company included on the list of public enterprises to be privatized, and three private airlines, Guinée air service, Guinée air inter and Sud air transport. All flights to neighbouring countries may be operated by Air Guinée; the three private companies are only able to run such flights between Guinea and two of the neighbouring countries. These four airlines have eight aircraft, which are able to carry between 50 and 124 passengers. International flights are operated by the multinational airline Air Afrique and 13 foreign airlines.
10 Law L/95/024/CTRN of 2 June 1995. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 70
(c) Land transport
89. The road network totals 13,620 km., of which 1,638 km. are paved national highways. Density is low and unevenly distributed between the regions. In ten years the number of vehicles in Guinea has increased from 25,000 to more than 91,000, of which 65 per cent are concentrated in the urban centres and 35 per cent in the interior of the country. Urban and intercity passenger transport is mainly in the hands of the private sector, operating generally in the informal sector. The only public enterprise, Société générale des transports en Guinée (SOGETRAG), is in the process of being privatized. Freight transport is handled exclusively by private operators. Two ECOWAS Conventions, the Inter-State Transit (TIE) and Inter-State Road Transport (TRIE) Conventions, have since 1982 defined the conditions under which these operations are carried out, in particular the transportation of goods between the member countries.
90. The main constraints which increase the cost of transport in Guinea are the poor state and inadequacy of the road network and the very rapid growth in the number of vehicles, the poor condition of vehicles generally and the frequent problems involving the police and customs. The Government plans to computerize the management of the number of vehicles on the road and the system for issuing the registration documents, to revise the highway code, to systematically introduce the technical inspection of vehicles, to build new bus stations in Conakry and the major inland towns and to organize cross-border transportation with a view to subregional integration.
91. The rail network consists of a 662 km. long national line between Conakry and Kankan, managed by the Office national des chemins de fer de Guinée (ONCFG), which no longer operates because of the lack of equipment and the very worn out state of the infrastructure, and three private lines belonging to mining companies: the 110 km. long standard-gauge line owned by Société des bauxites de Kindia (SBK), the 140 km. long Friguia line (metric gauge, linking the Friguia alumina plant to Conakry), and the 135 km. long line belonging to Compagnie des bauxites de Guinée (CBG) (standard gauge, linking Conakry to Kamsar).
92. The Government plans to renovate the first 36 kilometres of the national railway line as part of the Conakry Transport Plan, to serve urban and suburban areas, and renovate and modernize the remaining 626 km and extend the line to Mounts Simandou and Nimba. The main obstacle to this project is the lack of finance.
(ii) Financial services
93. In Guinea financial services are supplied by the units of the banking system, the insurance companies and the decentralized credit and savings structures. The contribution of financial services to GDP formation is around 8.5 per cent.
(a) The banking system
Guinea’s banking system consists of a central bank, the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea (BCRG), and six commercial banks (Table IV.9). The provisions of Law L/94/018/CTRN of 1 June 1994 laying down the statute of the BCRG assign it the task of watching over the creation, circulation and protection of the value of the national currency. In addition to its central banking functions, the BCRG undertakes gold-purchasing operations and provides assistance for the diamond agents and exporters of precious stones. It has a branch in Kankan in the Guinea Highlands, and a second one is being built in N’Zérékoré in Guinea’s forested region. The BCRG is represented in a number of other regions by the Banque internationale pour le commerce et l'industrie de Guinée (BICIGUI). Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 71
Table IV.9 Commercial banks, situation as at end 1997 Year established Share capital Government in millions share Banque islamique de Guinée (BIG) 1983 4,500a 0% Banque internationale pour le commerce et l’industrie de Guinée (BICIGUI) 1985 11.13b 51% Société generale de banques en Guinée (SGBG) 1985 20c 0% L’Union internationale de banque en Guinée (UIBG) 1987 2,000a 0% La Banque populaire Maroco-guinéenne (BPMG) 1991 1,670a 30% L’International commercial bank de Guinée (ICB) 1996 2,000a 0%
a Guinean francs. b US dollars. c French francs. Source: Guinean authorities (Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea).
94. The banking network is not very well developed in the provinces and is therefore concentrated around Conakry. It is characterized by its modest size, in terms of both the volume of business handled and the balance-sheet totals of the banks. A great disparity exists between the capital structure of the banks, some of which have negative equity.
95. Both nationals and foreigners may open a bank in Guinea, provided that at least 20 per cent of the capital is owned by a bank of international repute. The minimum capital requirement is GF 2 billion. The authorization, granted by the BCRG, states the names of two of the directors and those of the auditors. Nationals and foreigners may manage or be employed by banks in Guinea. The BCRG intends to bring the current principles governing the management of banks into line with the recommendations of the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision. Interest rates are set by the BCRG.
96. In addition to the traditional banking system there are three decentralized savings and credit networks in Guinea: Crédit rural de Guineé, the Crédit mutuel and the Programme intégré pour le développement de l'entreprise. These networks operate in rural areas and outlying districts inland. They collect savings from the people living in these areas (e.g. small farmers, craftsmen and small traders) and distribute credit, using the savings collected or external resources (grants and/or subsidies).
97. Crédit rural de Guineé (CRG) was established in 1988, in the form of an experimental project lasting three years; during its start-up period it received financial support from Caisse française de développement (CFD). At the end of 1996 the number of branches recorded in the interior of the country was 53, compared with 18 in 1991; over the same period outstanding credit increased from GF 542 million to GF 3,182 million and outstanding savings from GF 120 million to GF 1,871 million. CRG has 60 branches, with 55,000 customers at the end of 1997.
98. Crédit mutuel was also set up in 1988, at the same time as CRG. Its main activity involves collecting savings from the rural population, particularly farmers. Outstanding credit increased from GF 344 million in 1991 to GF 3,200 million in 1996; outstanding savings rose from GF 759 million to GF 7,470 million over the same period. The number of branches at the end of 1995 was 76, compared with 47 in 1991.
99. The Programme integré pour le développement de l’entreprise (Integrated Programme for Business Development – PRIDE) was launched in 1991, with finance from USAID. Apart from the financial activities concerned only with small one-man businesses in the informal sector, PRIDE’s WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 72 main tasks are to provide training in entrepreneurial spirit and assistance for economic operators in the private sector. The bulk of PRIDE’s lending is for commercial activities (75.9 per cent of the credit distributed in 1995, of which 39.7 per cent was for business involving local products). As at 31 December 1995, the recovery rate on funds lent was 100 per cent on a total distribution of GF 5.3 billion. This rate was 99 per cent in 1996 on GF 8.63 billion lent.
100. To the decentralized networks should be added the Caisses populaires d’épargne et de crédit de Conakry, which were established, in collaboration with Canada, in November 1997. These banking operations are involved in collecting savings from and distributing credit to the poorest sections of the community in Conakry which do not have access to bank loans. The first of these operations opened its doors when the project was launched in November 1997. The second is due to start up in 1998.
(b) The insurance sector
101. In December 1996 the insurance market comprised four companies employing a total staff of 171 with a turnover of nearly GF 12 billion (Chart IV.3). This turnover can be broken down according to the different classes of insurance as follows: motor (44 per cent), damage to property and fire (23 per cent), transport and aviation (12 per cent), life and sickness (9 per cent), personal injury (5 per cent) and other risks (7 per cent). The Guinean Government is a shareholder in only one company (Table IV.10); it intends to dispose of its shares to the private sector.
Table IV.10 Insurance companies, situation as at end-1996 Year established Share capital Government share (in GNF millions) L’Union guinéenne d’assurances et de réassurances (UGAR) 1989 2,000 60% La Société nouvelle d’assurances de Guinée (SONAG) 1989 500 0% La Société mutuelle des travailleurs de Guinée (MUTRAGUI) 1992 1,000 0% La Société guinéenne d’assurances mutuelles (SOGAM) 1991 100 0%
Source: Guinean authorities (Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea). Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 73
Chart IV.3 Turnover on the insurance market, 1990-96
GF billions
20
15
10
5
0 1990 91 92 93 94 95 1996
Source: Guinean authorities (Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea).
102. After 1984, the law applying to the insurance sector was laid down by Ordinances No. 103/PRG/86 of 28 May 1986 liberalizing the insurance market and No. 080/PRG/87 of 22 December 1987 regulating the activities carried out by insurance companies in the Republic of Guinea. These texts enabled four insurance companies to be set up, following the liquidation of the former Société nationale d’assurance (SNAR).
103. Owing to the way in which the insurance sector has developed, the legislative and regulatory texts proved inadequate and sometimes inappropriate. As a result, in 1995 a draft insurance code was drawn up as part of the effort to strengthen the financial sector initiated by the BCRG and supported by the World Bank. The new regulations, which are based on the Insurance Code of the Intra-African Insurance Market Conference (CIMA)11, define the methods for calculating the technical provisions and lay down the minimum solvency margin and the scale applicable to personal injury claims. These texts have thus made it possible to simplify the institutional framework and, for instance, harmonize (between companies) the scale for personal injury claims, the prudential guidelines, the procedures for the amicable settlement of disputes, to avoid overloading the courts, and the rules governing insurance intermediaries.
104. Insurance companies generally observe the same management principles as other companies. However, the minimum capital is fixed at GF 1 billion if the insurance company is incorporated as a public limited company and GF 300 billion if it is a mutual association. A reinsurer holding at least 20 per cent of the capital is also required. The rules do not bar foreign companies from either setting up an operation or providing services. However, importers established on the national territory are required to take out insurance with a local company. All companies are free to operate in all areas, provided that their products are accepted by the BCRG.
11 Guinea is not a member of CIMA. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 74
105. Anyone with the necessary expertise, whether a Guinean national or a foreigner, may carry on the profession of insurer or director of an insurance company. The BCRG is responsible for supervising insurance companies. Insurance premiums are laid down by the companies; they are subject to the prior opinion of the BCRG. As a result, premiums may vary from one company to another. Consultations often take place between the companies under the aegis of the Association professionnelle des assureurs de Guinée (Professional Association of Insurers of Guinea).
(iii) Tourism, hotel and restaurant services
106. Guinea possesses a wealth of assets of interest to tourists but these are largely unexploited. The main tourist attractions include the great variety of scenery, the wild animals and the islands, some of which are virtually uninhabited. However, the development of tourism in Guinea remains hampered by the inadequacy of the basic infrastructure (water, electricity, transport and telecommunication networks), the high cost of transport (particularly air travel), the run-down state of the facilities for receiving tourists, the poorly qualified staff and the embryonic and extremely centralized nature of the institutional framework and organization of tourist activities. While the lack of finance is a major constraint, the difficulties involved in obtaining access to real estate title deeds and securing building permits are also obstacles to the development of private investment in this sector.
107. The emergence of the private sector in providing hotel, restaurant and tourist services is of recent date and has been hesitant. Very few firms are involved in the hotel trade and there are about 20 travel agencies operating in Guinea. The main activity of these agencies is issuing tickets, as their capital base is not large enough to invest in tourist infrastructure. In 1996 Guinea had 65 hotels, with a capacity of 3,000 beds and an average annual occupancy rate of 56 per cent. Currently there are five tourist sites in operation. They are State-owned but some are run by private firms under a concessionary contract. The number of tourists coming to Guinea was rising until 1991, when it totalled 25,000, but it subsequently declined to 10,000 in 1993. Numbers began to pick up as from the second quarter of 1997, bringing total arrivals to 17,000 in 1997, representing government revenue of around GF 1 billion.
108. A number of programmes have been drawn up to develop tourism. Under the 1995 programme 186 tourist sites were to be developed and the number of hotel beds increased from less than 8,000 to 25,000 by 1999, in order to attract 100,000 visitors a year.12 A code of conduct for travel agents was introduced in August 1990.13
109. In 1998 a Ministry of Tourism was set up and a national tourism policy paper drawn up. Guidelines were defined although no specific measures have been taken for the time being. These guidelines covered matters such as support for the renovation, extension and upgrading of high- quality tourist products (e.g. projects to improve the road and telecommunication network, promote certain parks, develop the coastal areas and renovate the hotel infrastructure) and strengthening the authorities’ planning and management capacity (setting up of a research and strategic planning office, a training programme for instructors and technicians dealing with tourism and planning). The Ministry of Tourism is also responsible for creating an institutional framework to encourage the development of tourism (for instance, drawing up of a tourism code) and for promoting Guinea abroad.
12 Europa (1997). 13 Decree No. 168/PRG/SGG/90 of 31 August 1990 regulating travel and tourism agencies. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 75
110. The measures taken under the various programmes enabled the management of the hotels partly owned by the Government to be entrusted to international hotel chains. The Société guinéenne des hôtels et investissements (Guinean Hotel and Investment Company - SGHI) is responsible for keeping an eye on the Government’s interests in the way in which these hotels are managed. The small establishments are run by Guineans in the private sector. An industry federation participates in drawing up regulations and laws governing tourism, hotel and restaurant services and is involved in classifying the establishments.
111. Guinea has been a member of the World Tourism Organization since 1986.
(iv) Telecommunications and postal services
112. Telecommunication services are not very well developed in Guinea. The number of main lines was about 22,400 in 1997 (Table IV.11). Telephone density (number of main lines per 100 inhabitants), which stood at 0.30 in 1997, is among the lowest in Africa: it was 0.14 in 1994, compared with an average of 1.64 for the continent as a whole.14 The decline in telephone density in Guinea up until recently (Table IV.11) can be explained not only by demographic growth but also - and this is the main factor - by the lack of telecommunication infrastructure equipment, the run-down state of the facilities and the fact that lending to this sector has been inadequate in relation to the capital expenditure requirement.
Table IV.11 Indicators of telecommunication services, 1991-97 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Number of main lines 11,553 10,788 11,579 9,308 10,855 .. 22,403 Telephone density (no. of lines per 100 inhabitants) 0.19 0.18 0.18 0.14 .. .. 0.30 Total capacity of the telephone exchanges 17,400 .. .. 19,000 20,508 .. 24,480 Number of cellular telephone subscribers .. .. 42 312 480 .. 1,049 Productivity (no. of staff per 1,000 lines) 94 100 73 92 79 .. 36.37 Telecomms revenue as % of GDP 1.0 .. .. 0.4 .. .. 0.9
.. Not available Source: Guinean authorities.
113. As part of the programme of State disengagement from the production and distribution circuits, the Government restructured the post and telecommunications sector in 1992, with activities relating to postal services being separated from the telecommunications-related business. As a result of this restructuring three separate entities were created: the National Posts and Telecommunications Directorate (Direction nationale des postes et télécommunications - DNPT)15, the Office des postes de Guinée (OPG) and the Société des télécommunications de Guinée (SOTELGUI). OPG and SOTELGUI are public industrial and commercial corporations.
114. SOTELGUI has a monopoly over the supply of basic services; two cellular telephony companies (SPACETEL and TELECEL) have been authorized to provide (value added) services on the AMPS and GSM bands. In December 1995 SOTELGUI opened its capital to Telekom Malaysia Berhard (TMB); the capital was increased to US$75 million, of which 40 per cent is held by the Government and 60 per cent by the new partner.
115. In view of the huge demand for telephones, an emergency programme was adopted when SOTELGUI was set up. This programme involved renovating the network and raising its capacity so
14 International Telecommunication Union (1996). 15 DNPT has become the regulatory body for postal and telecommunication services. WT/TPR/S/54 Trade Policy Review Page 76
as to increase the number of telephone lines. To that end, a total of more than GF 50 billion has been invested since March 1996 and it is planned to invest a further GF 80 billion or so for 1999. The investment has enabled the following to be carried out: renovation of the Conakry cable network; the installation of exchanges, two VSAT stations, radio telephony (RILL), radio-relay links and GSM- type fixed and mobile cellular telephony in Conakry; and the digitization and extension of the Wonkifong earth station, and of the Almamya International Maintenance and Transmission Centre. This investment is expected to increase the total number of subscribers to 100,000 by the end of the year.
116. The cost of telecommunication services is set by the Ministry responsible for communications, following proposals from the companies (operators). As a result, the price for a particular service may vary from one company to another. However, a case must be made for any proposal by a company to change the tariff (prices). A system of cross-subsidization enables local telecommunication costs to be kept the same throughout the country.
117. The Office des postes de Guinée (OPG) is a public industrial and commercial corporation and has legal personality; its staff is still paid out of the government budget. Mail is transported twice a week between Conakry and the regional offices. Owing to the uncertainties associated with the conditions of transport, the local postal service is not satisfactory, unlike the international system, where progress has been made in recent years. The Government plans to improve and expand the postal services by setting up Transpostal de Guinée, which will be able to provide regular and punctual delivery of the mail, reactivate the postal financial services, renovate post offices which are at present closed and extend the network. Guinea WT/TPR/S/54 Page 77
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