What You Need to Know When You’re Moving to Conakry

Relocating to Conakry

Many people have moved to Conakry in the last couple of decades, rapidly growing the city’s population, but infrastructure has not been improved enough to meet this expanding demand. Water and electricity supplies tend to be irregular all over the city and Conakry is without many of the 21st century facilities people from around the world may take for granted.

About the City

The population of Conakry is estimated to be between 1.5 and 2 million, with this figure having grown rapidly in the last 20 years as more and more people move to Conakry. Around a quarter of the population of the Republic of Guinea are currently thought to live in Conakry and the surrounding area.

Conakry’s largest ethnic group is the Fula, which makes up around 40% of the Guinea population. About 30% of the local people are Mandingo and they are based mainly in the east of the country. Islam is the most dominant religion in Guinea, with around 85% of the country following the religion, while there are also substantial groups that follow either traditional beliefs or Christianity.

The official language of Guinea is French and this is spoken by most of the people living in Guinea, but there are also over 24 indigenous languages spoken all over Guinea. Expatriates living in Conakry should not expect locals to understand much English, if any.

The Climate in Conakry

Conakry has a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen climate classification and like much of Africa, the city has distinct wet and dry seasons.

December to April is the annual dry season in Guinea and during this time of the year there is very little rainfall. In contrast, there is an extraordinary amount of precipitation during the wet season in the country, with July and August seeing particularly heavy rainfall, which can cause flooding and various other infrastructure problems in Conakry and across the nation.

Temperatures tend to be fairly even throughout the year and usually hover at around the 25°C (77°F) mark during the day, while they do not usually drop much below 20°C (68°F) either.

Visas for Guinea

There are 21 territories and countries in total where citizens do not require a visa to enter Guinea, among them Mali, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Liberia and Egypt.

However, most expats who are traveling from outside of Africa will need a visa, unless they are from Russia or Romania and hold a diplomatic, official or service passport, which entitle them to stay in Conakry for a period of up to 90 days.

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to secure a visa for individuals planning to move to Conakry, with visas typically taking around three days to be processed. Proof of an invitation letter from family or friends who are already based in Guinea is also needed to get a visa for the country, as well as a copy of confirmed hotel reservations.