Guinea Franc

Overview

The Guinea Franc is the official currency of Guinea, a country located in West Africa. It is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures. Conakry is the capital, largest city and economic center. Other major cities include Labe, Nzérékoré, Kankan, Kindia, Mamou, Boke, and Guéckédou.

Economy

• Guinea has abundant natural resources, including 25% or more of the world's known reserves of bauxite, more than 4 million tons of high grade iron ore, significant diamond and gold deposits, and undetermined reserves of uranium. Bauxite and aluminum are currently the only major exports.
• The country has great potential for hydroelectric power.
• Other industries include processing plants for beer, juices, beverages and snuff.
• Under French rule, Guinea was a major exporter of bananas, pineapples, coffee, peanuts and palm oil. Agriculture still employs 80% of the workforce in the country.
• Guinea has considerable potential for growth in its agricultural and fisheries sectors. Soil conditions, water and climate provide opportunities for large-scale irrigated agriculture and agribusiness. Investment opportunities and commercial activities exist in all these areas, but Guinea's poorly developed infrastructure and rampant corruption present obstacles to investment projects on a large scale.

History

• The first Guinea Franc was introduced in 1959 to replace the CFA Franc BCEAO. The Guinea Franc denominations included 1, 5, 10 and 25 coins (aluminum bronze) with banknotes in 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 franc denominations.
• These denominations have been maintained, with the addition of a 50 franc coin (1994) and phasing out of the corresponding 50 franc note.