Simandou 2040: Integrating sustainable development issues

In the week of May 11, the Guinean Agency for Environmental Assessment (AGEE) officially launched a support programme through an initiation workshop on integrating sustainable development issues into the Simandou 2040 programme.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with the NCEA. It brought together senior staff from the Strategy and Development Offices (BSD) of the sectoral ministries involved in the Simandou 2040 programme and AGEE staff.

The opening ceremony was marked by the Director General of AGEE, Mr. Seydou Cisse, who highlighted the strategic importance of the initiative in the context of implementing the Simandou 2040 programme, which now serves as the Republic Guinea’s national development framework. He noted that this ambitious programme sets the nation on a path of profound transformation, driven by major infrastructure investments.

According to the DG, the scale and complexity of the planned mega-projects require the systematic integration of environmental, social, and climate considerations, to ensure the sustainability of investments, the social acceptability of the projects and compliance with Guinea’s international commitments, particularly regarding climate change mitigation and the preservation of biodiversity.

With this in mind, the AGEE, an autonomous public body  under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, took the initiative to develop this  workshop focused on Strategic Environmental Assessment. The aim is to build the capacity of BSD executives, who are called upon to play a key role in sectoral planning and the integration of sustainable development into the policies, plans, and programmes of ministries. The workshop also aims to develop roadmaps for developing and monitoring the sectoral programmes of Simandou 2040.