'Congratulations to my brother, President Mamadi Doumbouya, on his election as President of the Republic of Guinea. We look forward to deepening our strong bilateral relations and working closely together to advance our shared priorities and the prosperity of our nations,' President Kagame said in a post on X.
Doumbouya's win was confirmed by Guinea's Supreme Court on Sunday, formalising his transition from junta leader to democratically elected president. The court validated the provisional results announced earlier, crediting Doumbouya, 41, with 86.72% of the vote.
The runner-up, Abdoulaye Yero Baldé, received 6.59% of the votes. The court noted that Baldé, who had initially challenged the election results with the Supreme Court, had since voluntarily withdrawn his complaint.
The election marks Guinea's first presidential vote since Doumbouya led a coup in September 2021, which ousted Alpha Condé. The vote was held under a new constitution that removed the ban on military leaders running for office and extended the presidential term from five to seven years.
Rwanda and Guinea enjoy cordial relations, reinforced through exchanges of visits and cooperation across multiple sectors. President Kagame last visited Conakry in November 2024, joining President Doumbouya for the launch of the Simandou Iron Ore Project, considered the largest ongoing mining project in the world.
The Simandou deposit is estimated to contain approximately 3 to 4 billion tonnes of high-grade recoverable iron ore and is expected to reach full production capacity by 2030, with an annual output of around 120 million tonnes.
Bilateral cooperation has also been strengthened through agreements signed on October 9, 2024, in Kigali during a session of the Joint Cooperation Commission. According to announcements from both countries' foreign ministries, the 12 agreements cover areas such as public administration modernisation, export promotion, tourism development, special economic zones, migration data management, defence and security, justice, economy, and trade.
'The partnership between our two countries is based on complementary and a win-win approach,' said Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe. He noted that Rwanda can benefit from Guinea's expertise in mining, while Guinea can learn from Rwanda's experience in public service innovation and digitisation.
Although relatively new, the bilateral relationship has strengthened since Rwanda opened its embassy in Conakry in January 2024. President Doumbouya has expressed interest in adopting Rwanda's development model, and the two leaders have met frequently to explore cooperation opportunities.
In addition to the agreements, both countries have established a follow-up mechanism to ensure proper implementation of recommendations from the first session of the Joint Cooperation Commission.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
