GUINEA · LAND
Key Facts
—What is happening A presidential decree read on Friday, 16 October 2026, declassifies the land reserves of the Simbayah Wanindara industrial zone and Kassa island in Conakry, which are to be restructured and regularised for their occupants.
—Why it matters It opens the way to put land in order for people already living and working on two Conakry sites, though leased plots, public facilities and security installations stay outside the decree.
—The numbers Simbayah Wanindara covers 315 hectares, 38 ares and 35 centiares (about 779 acres), and one report puts Kassa island at 435 hectares (about 1,076 acres), so more than 750 hectares in total.
—Who is who Mamadi Doumbouya, who took power in a 2021 coup and was inaugurated as elected president in January 2026, is named as the signatory; four ministers apply the decree.
—What to watch Ministry notices on surveys, the registration of occupants and a timetable, none of which has been announced, plus publication of the full decree text.
—What it means for you Americans with a land claim or property plans in Conakry should read the full decree before acting, since it carries no US measure and no change to travel rules.
Guinea has declassified the Simbayah Wanindara industrial zone and Kassa island in Conakry, a decree read on Friday shows. Both sites are to be restructured and regularised for the people who occupy them.
A presidential decree read on Friday, 16 October 2026, declassifies the Guinea land reserves of Simbayah Wanindara and Kassa island. Both sites lie in Conakry, the capital, and are to be restructured for their occupants.
Guineenews, a Guinean news site, reported the decree on Friday, and Mosaïque Guinée, another Guinean outlet, carried it the same night. Both outlets cite the decree, whose full text was not on an official website on Saturday.
What the Decree Says About the Guinea Land Reserves
The Simbayah Wanindara reserve is held under title deed number 23-190-2018-TF of Conakry. It measures 315 hectares, 38 ares and 35 centiares, or about 779 acres.
Guineenews says decree number 211-PRG-SGG-89 of 23 November 1989 had earlier covered the reserve. A hectare is 10,000 square metres, so the site is about 3.15 square kilometres.
The Kassa island reserve is registered under title deed number 23-267-2018-TF of Conakry, Guineenews reports. Mosaïque Guinée alone gives its area, and Guineenews gives none.
Mosaïque Guinée puts the Kassa area at 435 hectares, 49 ares and 30.85 centiares (about 1,076 acres). It says the two sites together exceed 750 hectares, about 1,855 acres.
That is roughly 2.2 times the size of New York’s Central Park, which covers 843 acres. The Kassa figure rests on one outlet, so treat the combined total with the same caution.
Article 2 says both sites will be restructured, regularised and developed under the Urban Planning Code and the Land Code. Mosaïque Guinée adds that the decree cites article 113 of the Land and State Property Code, the Code foncier et domanial.
Guineenews says only that “the President of the Republic” issued the decree. Mosaïque Guinée names him as President Mamadi Doumbouya and says he signed it on Friday.
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Plots and Facilities the Decree Leaves Out
The decree excludes plots under emphyteutic leases or building leases. An emphyteutic lease is a long-term land lease, and a building lease lets a tenant construct on land owned by someone else.
Public facilities are also excluded, including schools, health centres, sports grounds, green spaces and cemeteries. So are places of worship and installations of the defence and security forces.
Easements, meaning legal rights of way across land, are excluded as well. So are the road corridors of the Leprince road, the cross streets and the secondary roads.
Aerial view of Conakry and the coast; file photo, not showing the two sites named in the decree. Photo: Alpha hmd / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Who Applies the Decree and Who Signed It
Guineenews says four ministers apply the decree, each within their own remit. They are the ministers for Urban Planning and Land Development, National Defence, Territorial Administration and Security.
Mamadi Doumbouya has led Guinea since a 2021 coup, and he was inaugurated as elected president in January 2026. Only Mosaïque Guinée names him as the signatory of this decree.
Residents of Wanindara Celebrate the Decision
Mosaïque Guinée reports that residents of Simbayah Wanindara, in the Lambanyi commune, took to the streets on Friday to show their satisfaction. Reflet Guinée, another Guinean outlet, describes a festive mood and quotes residents who call the decision historic.
Elhadj Fafa M’Bira Mané, former head of Lambanyi’s special delegation, a local administrative body, called it an answer to a long wait. Mosaïque Guinée says he told Reflet Guinée that his reaction was positive and thanked the President.
These are the reactions of supporters, and the reports quote no critic of the decree. The views of people living on Kassa island have not been reported.
What It Means for US Readers
No US government measure is attached to the decree, and none of the reports mention foreign investors, mining or bauxite. Guinea is better known to US readers for bauxite and the Simandou rail tunnel at Kindia, which are separate stories.
Anyone with a land claim in these areas should read the full decree before acting, because status can change by decree. The reports do not say whether foreign owners or lessees are affected.
Travel rules for Americans are unchanged by the decree. Other recent Guinea business news includes the first refined gold export on 9 October.
What Is Not Known
The full decree text was not on the presidency, government secretariat or state broadcaster websites checked on Saturday, 17 October. The details therefore rest on Guineenews and Mosaïque Guinée.
Only Mosaïque Guinée gives the Kassa area, the article 113 reference and the name of the signatory. Only Guineenews gives the title deed numbers and the 1989 decree, and the 2026 decree number is stated by neither.
No report says how many households, businesses or buildings stand on the two sites. The cost, the timetable and the body that will run the regularisation have not been announced.
It is not stated what title or compensation occupants will receive, or how competing claims will be settled. Whether holders of excluded leases face any change is also unreported.
What Comes Next
The four named ministers must now apply the decree within their remits. No dates for surveys or the registration of occupants have been announced.
Mosaïque Guinée says carrying out the restructuring programmes will be the decisive step for the people concerned. The reports describe a framework and do not say when occupants will receive documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Guinea declassify on 16 October 2026?
A presidential decree declassified the land reserves of the Simbayah Wanindara industrial zone and Kassa island in Conakry. Both sites are to be restructured, regularised and developed for their occupants.
Where are Simbayah Wanindara and Kassa island?
Both reserves are registered under title deeds of Conakry, Guinea’s capital on the Atlantic coast. Simbayah Wanindara is an industrial zone, and the reports give no further location detail for either site.
What does declassification mean in this decree?
The land is no longer held as a state reserve, and Article 2 says it will be restructured, regularised and developed. One outlet says the land leaves the state’s public domain.
Which plots does the decree exclude?
It excludes plots under emphyteutic or building leases, public facilities, places of worship, defence and security installations, easements and road corridors. Schools, health centres, sports grounds, green spaces and cemeteries are named among the public facilities.
Does the decree change anything for American investors or travellers?
None of the reports mention foreign investors, mining or travel rules, and no US measure is attached. Anyone with a land claim in these areas should read the full decree text once it is published.
Sources: Guineenews, Guinée : les réserves foncières de Simbayah Wanindara et de Kassa déclassées (décret); Mosaïque Guinée, Décret : déclassement des réserves foncières de Simbaya-Wanindara et de l’île de Kassa; Mosaïque Guinée, residents of Simbaya-Wanindara welcome the decision; Reflet Guinée, Déclassement de Wanindara : les habitants expriment leur joie; Eyewitness News, Guinea’s Doumbouya to be sworn in as president on 17 January; Presidency of Guinea and General Secretariat of the Government (checked, no decree text found) (all accessed 17 October 2026).
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