H.E. Mr. Ismael Nabé, Guinea’s Minister of Planning, Development, and International Cooperation, and Mr. Zhongjing Wang, CEO of the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), held a bilateral meeting in Conakry, Guinea on 6 March. They discussed opportunities to build closer partnership for promoting high-quality connectivity infrastructure development and economic transformation in Guinea and beyond.
CEO Wang expressed his appreciation to Minister Nabé for Guinea becoming an Observer country of the MCDF Coordination Committee, after meeting each other alongside the Islamic Development Bank Annual meeting in May 2025 in Algeria, and welcoming his visit to Conakry. He underscored MCDF’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Guinea to foster cross-border connectivity infrastructure investment for a more sustainable future.
Joined by senior staff, Minister Nabé described how Simandou 2040, Guinea’s national development program named after its large iron ore mine, emphasizes transport and connectivity infrastructure as key enablers of inclusive growth and regional integration. The approach aligns with Guinea’s growing regional role, including its efforts to boost cross-border transport corridors, trade and investment, and economic diversification through sustainable large-scale infrastructure development, he added.
“Simandou 2040 is not only about infrastructure, but also about building the institutions and skills needed to sustain growth,” said Minister Nabé. “Our partnership with MCDF supports this integrated approach, combining infrastructure development with capacity building and knowledge sharing.”
CEO Wang, accompanied by MCDF’s Ms. Monde Nyambe and Dr. Erick Mariga, affirmed the compatibility between the country’s development vision and MCDF’s accelerating support for project preparation, capacity building, and information sharing to help enable the application of International Financial Institution (IFI) standards and good practices.
“MCDF welcomes the opportunity to strengthen its partnership with Guinea as it advances its forward-looking Simandou 2040 development program,” said CEO Wang. “Guinea’s priority focus on capacity building is critical to ensuring that connectivity infrastructure investment delivers favorable and lasting development impacts and is an area in which MCDF and its growing partner network is well-positioned to provide even greater support.”
Minister Nabé and CEO Wang went on to discuss opportunities to step up MCDF’s capacity building support in Guinea via the country’s Simandou Academy. They also explored how collaboration on the establishment of a regional learning center could enhance skills development and knowledge sharing in priority connectivity sectors for the country and broader West Africa’s sustainable development.
Minister Nabé’s staff agreed to submit connectivity project proposals to be considered for MCDF project preparation grant support and implementation by MCDF’s accredited IFI Implementing Partners, scale up capacity building cooperation, and elevate Guinea’s participation in MCDF’s information and knowledge-sharing activities.
CEO Wang thanked Minister Nabé for accepting MCDF’s invitation to Guinea to participate in discussions in 2026 on MCDF strategy for its next phase and MCDF’s first replenishment meeting on 30 March in Beijing.
Contact
David Hendrickson
Senior Communications Officer
Mobile: +86 185 0114 6758
david.hendrickson@themcdf.org
