Guinea has adopted a new National Sanitation Policy covering the 2026-2040 period, with the ambition of sustainably improving the management of solid and liquid waste and strengthening the protection of the living environment.
The validation of this strategic document was announced on Wednesday by the Minister of Sanitation, Water Resources and Hydrocarbons, Aboubacar Camara, during a consultation meeting bringing together the various partners and stakeholders in the sector.
This new policy now serves as a reference framework for sanitation, hygiene and public cleanliness initiatives in Guinea. It is part of the authorities’ efforts to strengthen waste management and provide more structured responses to sanitation challenges.
According to Minister Aboubacar Camara, this instrument should notably make it possible to better plan, organize and finance interventions concerning wastewater, stormwater drainage, fecal sludge management and urban cleanliness.
"Sanitation has long been considered an expense, whereas it should be seen as an investment,” he said, stressing that, according to him, one dollar invested in sanitation could save approximately three to four dollars.
The new policy also aims to take into account the concerns expressed by the various stakeholders in the sector, at all levels.
The stated objective is to translate government guidelines into concrete actions capable of improving people’s living conditions and the quality of the urban environment. Present at the meeting, UNICEF Representative in Guinea, Maddalena Bertolotti, recalled that sanitation challenges go far beyond the construction of infrastructure.
"Sanitation is not only a matter of infrastructure, but also a matter of public health, human dignity and environmental protection,” she stressed. She also highlighted the economic and social dimensions of sanitation, particularly in terms of equality between girls and boys, as well as its role in strengthening resilience to climate change.
Through this 2026-2040 policy, Guinea thus intends to place sanitation at the heart of several national priorities, ranging from hygiene and public health to environmental protection and the improvement of the living environment, with expected impacts on the country’s socio-economic development.