Guinean president forms new cabinet
Guinean President Alpha Condé has nominated 10 ministers to put the finishing touches on his government. Mohamed Lamine Fofana has been named as Mining Minister. Mining is considered one of the most important portfolios.
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Guinea is the world's top supplier of the aluminum ore bauxite. A lack of transparency in contracts with international mining companies has contributed to the country's poverty. Fofana's appointment may help to change that, according to Tara O'Connor, the head of Africa Risk Consulting.
Tara O'Connor, Africa Risk Consulting
"His appointment represents placing a technocrat in this key ministry and moving it away from what it has been during the transition, which was highly politicised," says O'Connor. "It is a step in the right direction for foreign investment and for the mining sector as a whole."
The government, which is run by Mohamed Said Fofana, includes two lawyers who have defended Condé in the past.
New Justice Minister Christian Sow defended Condé in 1998 when the junta led by Lansana Conté sued him. He spent two years in prison from 2000 before being released after international pressure.
Condé was also represented in the case by Abdoul Kabèlè Camara, whom he appointed to manage the defence portfolio although Condé will act as defence minister.
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