Conakry – All civil servants in the office of Guinea’s president and prime minister are to be replaced, Alpha Conde ordered, nine days after being sworn in. Hundreds of people are affected by the decree.
Officials in Guinea’s capital have stated that many were believed to be beyond the retirement age but remained at work because of their political connections.
Conde, a veteran opposition leader, was declared the winner of Guinea’s first democratic election in 52 years.
Those losing their jobs have all been put at the disposal of the employment ministry to either redeploy them or second those who are due for retirement, according to the decree read out on national television.
Unemployment, particularly among graduates, remains endemic in Guinea, partly because previous regimes have allowed political allies to remain in office.
Guineans are among the poorest people in West Africa, despite the fact that the former French colony is the world’s leading exporter of the aluminium ore bauxite. (BBC)
