The Information Technology Landscape In 
The Republic of Guinea
                                          IT Usage
IT is utilized by several different groups in Guinea including business ( to some extent), private schools (i.e.: Lycee Francais, Lycee St Marie among others), the two universities, international agencies (World Bank, NGOs) and governmental departments.

One of the main groups utilizing IT is the Ministry of Information which is currently negotiating a with the CIDA's Electronic Commerce World Institute to establish a web site providing government, business and tourist information to the general public.

Another user is the Ministry of Higher Education and Research which operates a point-to-point wireless link between the two university which are connected via a dialup to the US.

When I left Guinea in 1993, my high school only had 5 computers and the Internet was a foreign concept. Today, I receive emails from relatives and friends all over the country.  Further, my 12 year old sister sends me electronic cards from her school. When I went back in 1995, I was amazed to see them playing games on the computer, and to find out how many TV channels they had. Yes, When I left there was only the national TV channel. Now most families in the capital have some satellite dishes through which they can even view TV shows from around the world. I remember how surprised I was to see they had Baywatch, Herculus and the famous X-files. It the private sector, most companies too now have computers to some extent and are recognizing the need to use IT to make their business more efficient and to be connected to the rest of world.  However, this explosion in IT usage is concentrated in the capital city Conakry.  Most rural cities still do not have the infrastructure required by computers and are probably completely ignorant about the Internet.

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Last updated: 12/19/99