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Guinea's Conde replaces security, energy ministers
Guinea's President Alpha Conde poses during an European Union (EU)-Africa summit in Brussels April 2, 2014. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
23/10/2014
CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's President Alpha Conde has replaced his security and energy ministers, a surprise move announced on state television late on Tuesday.
The West African nation has ambitions to be major exporter of iron ore and other minerals but it has endured years of political instability and is battling the worst Ebola outbreak on record.
Mahmoudou Cisse, a judge, was named minister of security and civil protection, replacing Madifing Diane, who had been in the job since last year.
Cheikh Taliby Sylla, a former project director for the Chinese-built Kaleta dam, was named minister of energy and hydro-electric power, a job that will see him take on Guinea's chronic outages. He replaces Idrissa Thiam, who has moved to become a presidential advisor.
The decree announcing the decision gave no reason for the changes.
Earlier on Tuesday, Conde named former finance minister Kassory Fofana as the presidency's minister of state responsible for investments and public-private partnerships.
Already the world's leading producer of bauxite, the raw material used in aluminium production, Guinea is seeking to diversify its mining sector and develop its largely untapped iron reserves.
However, the country is currently struggling to contain an Ebola outbreak, which originated in Guinea before spreading to neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia, crippling the economies of all three nations.
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