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Guinea is very rich in resources. 25% of the nation’s total 246,000 square kilometers is arable land, most of which is being utilized for farming ( Arulpragasam & Sahn, 5). Additionally, it possesses a very favorable climate for agriculture. Guinea also holds abundance in mineral resources including iron ore, gold, and diamonds ( Maher, 1855) . But the greatest asset the Guinea minds hold is bauxite. The nation is the world’s largest exporter of bauxite (an ore from which aluminum is derived). With such an abundance of natural mineral and agricultural resources many wonder why Guinea is still in a poor economic condition, and what if any, is the possibility for economic growth.

“Much of the nation’s production potential, however, remains unrealized, and growth has flattened,” studiers of the Guinea economy say ( Arulpragasam & Sahn, 7). For example, most of the mining profits do not benefit the country directly. Citizens work for predominantly foreign and private mining companies, who alone enjoy most foreign exchange convertibility and restrict access to foreign intermediary inputs and supplies. Eventually, the mining sector came to enjoy an independent economy within the nation’s economy. Since 1975, natural minerals make up over 90 % of all Guinean exports, lining the pockets of only a select few, while leaving the rest of the nation’s citizens in poor condition ( Arulpragasam & Sahn, 14).