About GEN Guinea

The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) has built its presence in Guinea around the country's participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), GEN's flagship celebration of the founders and innovators who bring new ideas to life. Guinea's connection to the campaign drew high-level attention early on, with President Alpha Condé among the heads of state and ministers recognized for engaging with GEN around the world during the 2015 edition. In the years since, the national GEW campaign has been carried by SUITE, a Conakry-based technology venture founded and led by Elhadj Mamadou Aliou Bah. During GEW 2022, SUITE organized a cluster of activities in Conakry that paired practical skill-building with inspiration – including workshops on innovation and creativity, sessions on digital marketing strategy, and screenings of the entrepreneurship film The Founder. 

Beyond the annual campaign, GEN's year-round presence in Guinea centers on Startup Huddle, a program designed to help entrepreneurs share real-time challenges facing their startup and solicit input on potential solutions from other entrepreneurs, mentors, and the local community. The Startup Huddle Conakry chapter was launched in 2021 by local organizer Bangaly Diane and has remained an active part of GEN's global Startup Huddle network, connecting Guinean founders to a community that spans dozens of cities worldwide. 

Guinea has also been represented in the Startup Nations community, GEN's peer community of government officials and policy advisors working to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration on a prioritized agenda for entrepreneurship policy. The Prime Minister's Office been actively engaged, with Thierno Baldé an advisor in charge of the private sector, trade, economy, and industry within the Prime Minister's Office, representing Guinea alongside peers from across Africa. 

GEN has focused its interface through the Prime Minister's Office, SUITE, and the organizers of Startup Huddle Conakry but welcomes more individuals and organizations to join GEN and built on efforts to date. GEN's ongoing mission in Guinea is to link local founders, entrepreneurship support organizations, and policymakers to a global network of programs, knowledge, and seasoned peers – strengthening the infrastructure that allows Conakry's emerging entrepreneurial community to grow and to reach opportunities well beyond the country's borders.