On October 22, 2025, the Republic of Guinea took a new step in promoting its local products by celebrating the official registration of two new Protected Geographical Indications (PGI): the “ Baronne de Friguiagbé Pineapple ” and the “ Guinea Lepi ”. The solemn ceremony held in Conakry under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, represented for the occasion by his Minister Director of Cabinet Mr. Mohamed Lamine Sy Savané , brought together high-ranking personalities, including Dr. Diaka Sidibé , Minister of Industry and SMEs and administrator of OAPI for Guinea, Moussa Moïse Sylla, Minister of Culture and Crafts , as well as Denis BOHOUSSOU , Director General of OAPI.
Mr. BOHOUSSOU symbolically handed over the registration certificates, accompanied by the PGI logo, which can now be stamped on these emblematic Guinean products, to Ms. Sidibé, who in turn officially handed them over to the representatives of the respective groups. It should be recalled that prior to this ceremony, the Director General was received in audience at the Prime Minister's Office by the Prime Minister, to whom he presented the certificates and illustrated the process that led to the labeling of these national heritages.
A lever of economic sovereignty and rural transformation
Through these instruments of recognition now transmitted, which are a guarantee of credibility and authenticity among consumers, this new label brings to three the number of local products from Guinea recognized as PGI by the OAPI. They thus join Café Ziama Macenta , a pioneer in sub-Saharan Africa since 2013.
In his speech, Mr. BOHOUSSOU welcomed “a happy dynamic which enshrines the legal recognition of traditional know-how and the promotion of African agricultural and artisanal excellence.”
For her part, Ms. Sidibé reaffirmed the Guinean government's ambition to make "Made in Guinea" a benchmark brand in Africa and internationally, while welcoming the technical and institutional support of OAPI .
For his part, Mr. Mohamed Lamine stressed that these labels embody “a living link between a community, an environment and a culture”. They play a strategic role in value creation, rural stability and economic sovereignty .
Mr. Moussa, for his part, celebrated this recognition by stating that “Leppi is not just a fabric, it is a heritage, a legacy and a language. Its registration as PGI is a cultural and economic victory, the fruit of the hard work of our artisans.”
The second agricultural PGI of the Guinean terroir, the Baronne pineapple, which is grown in the locality of Friguiagbé , renowned for its fertile soils and favorable climate for this crop, has a melting texture characterized by an intense golden yellow flesh that is slightly fibrous, very juicy, very sweet and fragrant. Unlike other pineapple varieties grown in Guinea, the Baronne de Friguiagbé has the particularity of having many thorns on the leaves, making it quite difficult to harvest. Its registration process with OAPI began in 2021, as part of the second phase of PAMPIG2 (Project to support the establishment of the promotion of geographical indications in Africa) implemented by OAPI with the support of AFD (the French Development Agency).
The country's first artisanal PGI, leppi is an emblematic fabric originating from the region of Middle Guinea commonly called "indigo loincloth". Leppi represents the Fulani ethnic group par excellence and is very often worn during major ceremonies . Ancestral know-how passed down from generation to generation in dyeing families, leppi has the particularity of being very light and made in a single color: indigo, the shade of which is obtained from an ecological composition of wood bark and vegetable plants.
Towards effective governance of IGPs
The day also featured a capacity-building workshop for producer groups in both the pineapple and textile sectors. The objective was to equip them for optimal management and sustainability of PGIs in production processes, market distribution channels, and the promotion and defense of their rights in the event of usurpation, as pioneers of registration.
Recognition with a promising future
A horticultural resource and an artisanal treasure, these new PGIs demonstrate the potential of local producers as key players in preserving national heritage, creating wealth, and transforming rural communities. Guinea thus confirms its regional leadership in the development of PGIs and its commitment to an economy based on identity, originality, quality, traceability, and sustainable competitiveness.
