Guinea-Bissau
Type of Government: Republic
Independence: 1973 from Portugal
Head of State: President Joao Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira (October 1, 2005)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 175
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 147
Political Development: Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, Vieira’s regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 Vieira was elected president in the country’s first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to Vieira’s ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba Yala, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, Yala was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique Rosa was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President Vieira was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation.
Adult HIV Rate: 10%
Life Expectancy: 47.18
GDP: $292.9 million
Inflation: 4%
Poverty: N/A
Petroleum: N/A
Leading Export Partner: India (76.1%)
Economic Note: One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector has helped to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world.
