MEDI1TV Afrique : MEDays 2024 : Entretien avec Amadou Oury Bah, 1er ministre de la République de Guinée - 30/11/2024
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00:00Welcome to this exclusive interview on Median TV on the occasion of the 16th edition of the MED-DAYS forum organized here in Tangier under the high patronage of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI
00:22on the global theme of resilience and sovereignty for a new global balance, or towards a new global balance.
00:32Among the influential decision-makers and personalities present here in Tangier, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea has pleaded for a global balance based on the sovereignty and solid partnerships between the countries of the South.
00:47Africa must be considered as a central actor. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome him for an exclusive interview on Median TV.
00:56Your Excellency, Prime Minister Amadou Bahauri, thank you very much for answering our questions.
01:01Thank you for the invitation.
01:03In your speech, which was widely applauded, you said you consider Morocco as a strategic partner in key sectors.
01:14Tell us about your vision of the historical and secular relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Guinea.
01:24You know that since independence, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Guinea have been together.
01:33The founding fathers of the independence movement have been together and have contributed to implementing the dynamics that have enabled the creation of the African Unity Organization.
01:48They have worked together so that Africa, from this point of view, North Africa and South Sahara Africa, can join forces to create strong strategic partnerships.
02:02From this point of view, historically, Guinea and Morocco have always had traditional relations based on cooperation and unwavering solidarity, whatever the circumstances in which the countries have found themselves.
02:16From this point of view, it is a pleasure on behalf of General of the Army Mamadi Doumbouya, President of the Republic of Guinea, to salute and pay homage to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
02:29May God assist him in his contribution.
02:34When Guinea has gone through difficult times, Morocco has always been by its side to go through these trials.
02:41It is a great pleasure for me to see him here in Tangier.
02:48The challenge today for many African countries is development.
02:53Yesterday, at the end of your interview with the head of the Moroccan government, Aziz Arnouch, you talked about ways to intensify bilateral relations.
03:07Could you tell us more about ways to intensify bilateral relations?
03:12What are the key sectors to boost this bilateral economic relationship?
03:20With the Prime Minister, we have mainly insisted on the need to go deeper.
03:26State-to-state relations are good, necessary and essential.
03:33But we need to go deeper into the relations between the different private sectors.
03:39Because what will last, what will create new value chains, new forms of solidarity and even dynamics,
03:48it is through the private sector that this can be done.
03:52Therefore, the private sector in Guinea and the private sector in Morocco must intensify their relations,
04:00work together and co-construct projects that are likely to create even stronger relations between the two nations.
04:11This is what we have insisted on.
04:13On the other hand, Morocco is a reference in terms of economic governance, in terms of the structuring of its administration.
04:22We are eager to take the right examples and the right practices to allow Guinea to catch up with its delay in certain areas.
04:35Among the key areas today, where Guinea plays a central role, especially for the Sahel countries,
04:42is the port area.
04:44Today, and this goes in the direction of the historical recognition of the Moroccan sovereignty in the southern provinces,
04:54there is the port of Dakhla and the port of Conakry.
04:57How do you see the cooperation, well, the port of Dakhla-Atlantique, which is being built, God willing,
05:01planned for the years to come, for 2029.
05:05How do you see the cooperation between these two essential points for regional and African economic integration in a much more global way?
05:13What I already know is that there is a maritime line that will be opened in a short time between Morocco and the Republic of Guinea.
05:23And I think that the port of Dakhla could be an anchorage port with the port of Conakry.
05:30This is the first aspect of things.
05:32The second aspect of things is that I am also here to be in contact with the port of Tangier.
05:40As you know, the port of Tangier plays an extremely important role in terms of maritime transport.
05:49And we need the expertise of the port of Tangier for feasibility studies,
05:56for the construction of a large port in deep water that Guinea plans to build in the Bokeh area, which is a little further north.
06:07So, from this point of view, it is very important.
06:10The third thing I can say, you know, since 2020, Guinea has opened a consulate in Dakhla.
06:19This means that, from this point of view, Guinea has made some progress in terms of, let's say,
06:27taking into account the historical reality that links the different peoples and the different regions of Morocco in the current concert.
06:36And the future of this reality, in the light of this African-Atlantic initiative,
06:43which brings together more than 20 countries on the Atlantic front of the African continent.
06:48What is your vision of the success of this process, Mr. Prime Minister?
06:53It is a necessity for this process to succeed.
06:59When we look at the world configuration today,
07:03on a geographical level, West Africa is closer to a bird's-eye view of Latin America, the Caribbean.
07:12And so, from this point of view, it would be good,
07:15instead of maritime trade taking place while ignoring the Atlantic front of the African continent,
07:24that, from the African continent, there be departures and returns between the southern part of America and the African continent.
07:35That is the first element.
07:37The second element, we are in an unprecedented configuration.
07:42The geostrategy, the global center of gravity, is moving.
07:49And this center of gravity will move more and more to the south.
07:55And the south, from this point of view, must put itself in a position
08:00capable of updating to its benefit this reconfiguration of the world economic and strategic chessboard.
08:11It is in our interest to further strengthen our sovereignty issues,
08:18but above all our resilience issues,
08:22because we need to build a coherent set of peace, co-prosperity and stability
08:31more to the south to be a part of this redistribution of cards on a global scale.
08:39And Guinea has its role to play.
08:42The Republic of Guinea has embarked on a very ambitious vision,
08:47the vision of Simandou 2040, which, beyond its mining aspect,
08:53covers several sectors of economic and socio-economic development.
08:58Do you think that Morocco can have a role to play in this vision of Simandou 2040, Mr. Prime Minister?
09:05Morocco already has a role to play, and Morocco is playing a role.
09:10And we want this role to be even stronger, much more pressing,
09:16in this diversification of our economy, by multiplying the channels of exchange.
09:25And this is why I insisted on the need to have a very structured partnership
09:33between the different private sectors.
09:36You know, the State plays a role, but the most sustainable, most fruitful growth factors
09:43are the value chains that the private sectors can allow us to have.
09:50This is in relation to the global dimension,
09:54in the context of the current economic transformation of Guinea through Simandou.
09:59For those who don't know, Simandou is, above all, an iron mine,
10:06one of the most important in the world.
10:09And we have companies, Rio Tinto on one side,
10:15Bau on the other, that exploit this mine.
10:19For the exploitation, there are 670 km of railway tracks
10:23that are being built, and a mineral port.
10:26And we want this project, Simandou, to be not a mining enclave,
10:33but a vector of the emergence of a diversified economy.
10:40And Guinea alone cannot do this.
10:43This is why there is room for it.
10:46There is a new ecosystem to be built,
10:50to finish with the income economy,
10:53hence the need in the most diverse sectors.
10:56Renewable energies, agriculture, tourism,
11:01to create an ecosystem that will allow the emergence of a development center
11:07for Guinea and for the region.
11:09This is an extremely important element.
11:12You said, what is the role of Guinea?
11:14Guinea also has other assets.
11:16This is iron.
11:18As far as bauxite is concerned,
11:21Guinea is the country that has the most reserves in terms of bauxite.
11:28And you know that if Guinea is booming,
11:31the whole world, as far as bauxite is concerned.
11:35We want the transformation, more and more,
11:39of the mining exploitation of bauxite on site.
11:44Hence the need to have capital,
11:47to have energy, to have a know-how
11:50that will allow the transition from bauxite to aluminum
11:54and why not tomorrow to aluminum.
11:56We wish and we want that bauxite,
11:59from this point of view,
12:01is what oil is for Saudi Arabia.
12:05And to diversify, to industrialize,
12:07to transform raw materials,
12:09you need electricity, Mr. Minister.
12:11You will agree.
12:12Today, it is one of the major issues
12:15to take the step towards this industrialization.
12:19And it turns out that the raw material for electricity is also there.
12:25There is the sun, there is the gas,
12:27also through this gas pipeline, Nigeria-Morocco,
12:30which is now commonly called Africa-Atlantic gas pipeline,
12:34which is the gateway for electrification
12:36and the industrialization of the countries
12:39of this pipeline or pipeline of this gas pipeline.
12:42You know that in relation to the production of electricity,
12:46it is less expensive to have electricity
12:51produced through gas
12:54than other compartments,
12:57whether solar, etc.
13:00And we want the industrialization of Guinea.
13:05This is the reason why we wish and salute
13:09that this gas pipeline can be operational
13:13in the best possible time,
13:15because in relation to our needs,
13:17it is a necessity for the supply of our industries
13:23for the production of electricity,
13:26because for this year only,
13:28we have the project of having turbines
13:33that can produce 480 megawatts.
13:36And for the supply of these turbines without breakage,
13:40if with the gas pipeline,
13:42we will be safe, let's say,
13:44from the lack of gas supply.
13:49And so it is extremely important for us.
13:53Mr. Prime Minister Bauri,
13:58we will perhaps end with a question on democracy,
14:02on politics today in the Republic of Guinea.
14:05You are the current President of the Union of Democrats
14:07for the Renaissance of Guinea,
14:08and you are also a former Minister in charge of reconciliation.
14:11Why am I talking about reconciliation, Mr. Prime Minister?
14:13You were appointed on February 27, 2024,
14:16and your appointment was for the purpose, among other things,
14:19to untie certain crises,
14:21to re-establish or to reconcile,
14:24if I may use the analogy.
14:27Can you tell us about the objectives
14:32of the constitutional referendum
14:34that is about to be organized in the Republic of Guinea?
14:37Well, you know, the fundamental question,
14:40we have to end it at the level of Guinea
14:43with these recurring crises every ten years,
14:47political crises linked to economic crises.
14:53And this is the reason why the current transition,
14:58which aims to re-establish the state,
15:02has taken measures on the institutional level,
15:06in particular in relation to the constitution's forward project,
15:09to implement everything so that there is more balance,
15:13so that there is more inclusion,
15:15and that no parcel of the territory,
15:18no entity, whatever it is,
15:20is excluded from the decision-making process.
15:24Hence the need to have a constitution
15:27that brings together,
15:29that allows to erase the asperities
15:33for the benefit of greater inclusion.
15:36This is the main objective that has been given.
15:39And also a constitution that will resist
15:42the trials,
15:45that will also resist the individual ambitions
15:48to establish a governance of stability and durability
15:54so as not to always be in a process
15:59of incessant questioning
16:02that does not allow, let's say,
16:05to digest or manage the situations
16:08with more intelligence, more wisdom,
16:11so that there is a smooth transformation
16:14of the sociological and economic evolutions of the country.
16:17This is the major ambition that the constitution,
16:20as it is projected at the moment,
16:23will allow Guinea to get out of these,
16:27I was going to say, zigzags
16:30that we have known since independence.
16:32This is a major aspect,
16:34and that allows to recognize the national diversities
16:38that exist, that constitute a wealth
16:41that must be integrated,
16:43that must not be marginalized.
16:45On the contrary, it is necessary to recognize
16:48each, let's say, cultural, religious diversity,
16:52its place in the national community.
16:55And the constitution will allow us to do this.
16:59And we want to make sure that men and women
17:03have the capacity to make this constitution live,
17:06so that it is rooted in the country
17:10so that it can emerge and prosper.
17:13A stable country, an economically viable country,
17:16so that Guinea can be reborn with its traditions,
17:21which in fact, for centuries and centuries,
17:26this territory has always been the cradle
17:29of great upheavals, of great initiatives,
17:33of the emergence of empires
17:35that transformed West Africa.
17:37And it is the vocation of Guinea to play its role
17:41and to strive for this vision
17:44for the return of Guinea to the forefront
17:48both African and international.
18:00The goal, as quickly as possible,
18:04and this was reaffirmed last week
18:08by the President of the Republic of Guinea,
18:11Mamadi Doumbouya,
18:13is to do everything so that in a relatively short period
18:19we can organize the constitutional referendum.
18:23And certainly, in three or four months,
18:28I think that this aspect of things
18:31will be a reality to allow us to move on
18:34to the other stages of the process
18:36of returning to the constitutional order.
18:39God willing.
18:40God willing.
18:41Thank you very much, Prime Minister Amadou Bahoury,
18:43for answering our questions, questions from Median TV.
18:48This was the exclusive interview
18:51in the company of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea
18:54on Median TV.
18:55Thank you for following us.
18:56Have a very good rest of the program.