First- and second-class citizens? Governance disparity in the urban development of Conakry – Republic of Guinea

Abstract

This article focuses on urban development in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea, to reflect on the progress and innovation represented by the increasingly widespread application of the World Bank’s international environmental and social standards with respect to the consideration of local stakeholders in governance processes. It also examines the paradoxical fact that, within the same territory, the variable application of those standards can create strong inequalities, particularly in the treatment of people involuntarily displaced by projects of public interest. This article underlines that the funding source of a project often determines whether international standards are adhered to. These differences in the consideration of people affected by projects may thus depend on criteria that are difficult for them to understand and are largely beyond their control.