Guinea-Bissau & France Agree to Strengthen Cooperation

President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo and visiting French President Emanuel Macron on Thursday expressed their willingness to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in various fields, in particular education, fishing, defence, infrastructure and agriculture.

“France will also invest in the areas of civil and military infrastructure in Guinea-Bissau,” said French President Macron in a joint statement with his Bissau-Guinean counterpart issued in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.

Speaking at the end of a visit of a few hours to Bissau, Macron said that “France will support the training of soldiers in Guinea-Bissau” and that “soon a group of 15 young Guineans benefiting from scholarships of France will begin their studies in the field of agronomy.”

He explained that the training of Bissau-Guinean soldiers is part of the support program for Guinea-Bissau in the fight against drug trafficking and maritime piracy, as well as in maintaining the stability of the country.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo welcomed France’s support for the training of young people, and its support for the field of agriculture which is vital for the economy.