“Mining” Human Capital in Guinea: Establishing a Building Block for Long-Term Economic Development

Guinea has precious resources, but will its ‘mining boom’ lead to long-term prosperity? As it begins the revolutionary Simandou Project, the nation faces opportunity. The Simandou 2040 program might boost economic growth and social development. How effectively Guinea invests in its most precious asset—its people—will determine its success.

Guinea must invest in education and skills to grow sustainably. A well-prepared people can diversify the economy and lessen natural resource reliance. Without such investment, mining might disrupt the economy by taking labor and money from other sectors. Guinea must teach its kids how to increase productivity and industry development to prevent this.

Building Future Youth: Foundational, Digital, and Technical Skills
Guinea must focus core literacy, numeracy, digital, and technical skills at all levels to produce a productive workforce. These are necessary for official employment and informal output. Soft qualities like collaboration, flexibility, and tenacity help today’s youngsters be productive.

To do this, substantial obstacles exist. Guinean adolescents, particularly girls, struggle to get education and training. The high NEET rate in the nation reflects this. Alarmingly, 34% of Guinea’s youth—611,000 people, including 420,000 women—fall into this group.

NEET percentages are greater in rural regions, with 50% of young women and 31% of young males. In a nation with 62% rural population, these discrepancies foster poverty, gender inequality, and economic marginalization.

Skills for All
Low enrollment throughout academic levels and socio-cultural variables like early marriage and motherhood in teenage females contribute to high NEET rates and gender inequalities. In 2018, 34% of elementary, 42% of lower secondary, and 62% of upper secondary pupils were not in school. Alarmingly, 37% of children—42% girls and 32% boys—have never attended school.

Girls encounter significant obstacles. Girl gross enrollment in lower secondary is 33%, compared to 45% for males. By 18, 41% of females are married, and 42% are mothers in rural regions. These issues severely restrict their capacity to complete school and gain critical skills for job and economic engagement.

Early Education and Success
Guinea has educational issues from the outset. Few children are prepared for school, with 20% in preschool and 56% in first grade (2022). This lack of early learning increases dropout rates, particularly for females. Poorly prepared instructors and inadequate resources cause 19% of primary school graduates to lack basic arithmetic abilities and over half to struggle with reading. These causes cause Guinea’s severe learning poverty and need urgent improvements.