Annual review of the NaturaGuinée project, which receives financial support from the European Union

A workshop was held in Conakry from 12 to 13 February 2025, bringing together various stakeholders and partners involved in conservation work in Guinea. The aim was to present the results of the first year of the NaturaGuinée project to the Steering Committee (COPIL). The meeting was also attended by key players constructing the Simandou railway which partly goes though the future Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park.

The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD). On the first day, 65 stakeholders, including 14 women, from Conakry, the Koundara area and Mamou took part. The various presentations highlighted the results achieved in the project's components. The questions raised were answered in detail, and recommendations were made to improve future actions. At the end of this first day, the Steering Committee (COPIL) validated the results of the first year. At the same time, the new activity plan for 2025 and the budget were approved.

As for the second day, 40 participants were registered, including 12 women, from the technical departments of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), the mining companies in charge of the Simandou project, representatives of the Ministries of Transport, Urban Planning and Housing, and the Decentralised Departments. The results of the monitoring of compliance with impact mitigation measures were presented and discussed to enable the supervisory bodies to be equipped with the necessary environmental monitoring tools.  

The WCF would like to thank our technical and financial partners, in particular the European Union NaturaGuinée project, Mrs Jolita Pons, Ambassador of the European Union to Guinea, the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), Office Guinéen des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune (OGPNRF), Agence Guinéenne d'Évaluations Environnementales (AGEE), Brigade Nationale, Direction Générale des Collectivités Locales (DGCL), Arcus Fondation and Rainforest Trust.