On July 16, 2022, to everyone’s surprise, the head of the Guinean junta appointed by decree Dr Bernard Goumou as Acting Prime Minister, concurrently with his duties as Minister of Trade, Industry and SMEs. It was enough to feed all sorts of speculation around the holder of the post, the placid Mohamed Béavogui, head of the government of the Transition, who left for Europe for reasons that remain to be confirmed.
Admittedly, the appointment of an interim Prime Minister is not unprecedented in Guinea. Under the last government of Alpha Condé, which was overthrown by the September 5, 2021 coup, Dr. Mohamed Diané, then Minister of National Defense, was bombarded as interim Prime Minister while the incumbent, Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, had gone to the United States for the death of his daughter. Since then, the latter has not resumed service at the Palais de la Colombe, seat of the Guinean Primature.
Is history likely to repeat itself with the case of Mohamed Béavogui? Nothing is less sure. In any case, for the two weeks he has been abroad, uncertainty hangs over his return to the helm of the Primature. While some predict his resignation, others foresee his outright dismissal by the President of the Transition, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, with whom he does not spin good cotton. And that’s an understatement to say!
Since he was promoted to his post, Mohamed Béavogui has really struggled to make his mark. Colonel Doumbouya and his brothers in arms from the National Rally Committee for Development (CNRD) left him little leeway in coordinating government action. Reduced to take blows, the former boss of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) now seems somewhat confused.
Whether he says it or not, Mohamed Béavogui has repeatedly been upset by the actions of the CNRD. This is particularly the case with the renaming of Conakry Airport by the name of Sékou Touré, the dismissal of its former Minister of Justice, Me Fatoumata Yarie Soumah, its scathing disavowal of the transition timetable and above all the recent creation of the Office for Monitoring Presidential Priorities (BSPP), which some present as a Prime Minister-bis.
And Bea’s extended stay abroad is not helping matters. It is perceived by a large section of the public as an escape from the latter in the face of its responsibilities. He who is expected on several fronts in the country. In Guinea, as we know, the Prime Minister is the guarantor of social and political dialogue. During a transition such as the one we are currently experiencing, a civilian head of government of the caliber of Mohamed Béavoqui should normally serve as surety for an international military junta. This is not currently the case.
At a time when the Guinean military junta is preparing for year one of its takeover, the Prime Minister’s absence will be very badly perceived. Especially since the President of the transition has already asked the various ministers to brandish their results at the head of their respective departments. Beyond brandishing the achievements of his Prime Minister, Mohamed Béavogui should have commissioned and coordinated the preparation of his government’s sectoral assessments.
Chosen on October 06, 2021 to lead the Transition government, Mohamed Béavogui is a former Guinean international civil servant. Several times approached for the post of Prime Minister in Guinea, in particular following the insurrectionary events of January-February 2007, his time as Prime Minister leaves something to be desired. Hence the need to turn the page and try another, able to suit the President of the CNRD, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya and the whole of Guinea.
Nouhou Balde for Guineematin.com