Full Name
Hon. Mariama Cire Sylla
Job Title
Minister of Agriculture
Company
Republic of Guinea
Speaker Bio
Hon. Mariama Ciré Sylla is serving as Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Guinea since July 2025.
She brings over 20 years of international experience in trade, business strategy, private sector development, and finance, across multiple sectors, including mining and agriculture, with a career spanning Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Prior to her appointment, she served as the World Bank Group Resident Representative in Namibia. She previously held the position of Country Representative of IFC (International Finance Corporation) in Burundi, where she oversaw the institution’s programs and operations. Before that, she was IFC Coordinator for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States team (in the Sahel and West Africa region. Earlier in her career at the World Bank Group, Hon. Sylla worked with IFC’s “Creating Markets” Advisory Team and the global practice on Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation, where she served for several years as a Private Sector Specialist. In this capacity, she supervised World Bank and IFC operations in Guinea and across West Africa, while also providing cross-regional support to projects in the Middle East.
Since joining the World Bank Group in 2014, Hon. Sylla has led multiple programs and initiatives aimed at improving the business environment and promoting local enterprise development in fragile contexts. Her work has focused on innovative digital solutions to enhance competitiveness and access to finance for SMEs, policy reforms to unlock investment in the agriculture and mining sectors, and support for women and youth entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also provided cross-cutting support to private sector development projects in the Middle East.
Before joining the World Bank Group, Ms. Sylla held several leadership roles in the private sector. She was Commercial Director of Maersk Line in Guinea, where she oversaw the company’s strategic and commercial operations. She also worked with Safmarine Lines in Belgium as Trade Manager, supervising the Intra-Europe and Europe–Mediterranean markets. Her early professional experience was in the financial sector, with BRED Bank (France) and KPMG (Guinea), where she provided advisory services to corporate clients operating in Guinea.
Hon. Sylla holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Oxford (UK), a Master’s in Economic Policy from Williams College (USA), and a Master’s degree in Economics and Business Management from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). She is also the co-author of the book Better Led, Served and Governed World – Envisioning the Future (2014). In addition to her professional career, Hon. Sylla is actively engaged in non-profit initiatives supporting women, youth, and agricultural cooperatives in Guinea.
She brings over 20 years of international experience in trade, business strategy, private sector development, and finance, across multiple sectors, including mining and agriculture, with a career spanning Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Prior to her appointment, she served as the World Bank Group Resident Representative in Namibia. She previously held the position of Country Representative of IFC (International Finance Corporation) in Burundi, where she oversaw the institution’s programs and operations. Before that, she was IFC Coordinator for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States team (in the Sahel and West Africa region. Earlier in her career at the World Bank Group, Hon. Sylla worked with IFC’s “Creating Markets” Advisory Team and the global practice on Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation, where she served for several years as a Private Sector Specialist. In this capacity, she supervised World Bank and IFC operations in Guinea and across West Africa, while also providing cross-regional support to projects in the Middle East.
Since joining the World Bank Group in 2014, Hon. Sylla has led multiple programs and initiatives aimed at improving the business environment and promoting local enterprise development in fragile contexts. Her work has focused on innovative digital solutions to enhance competitiveness and access to finance for SMEs, policy reforms to unlock investment in the agriculture and mining sectors, and support for women and youth entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also provided cross-cutting support to private sector development projects in the Middle East.
Before joining the World Bank Group, Ms. Sylla held several leadership roles in the private sector. She was Commercial Director of Maersk Line in Guinea, where she oversaw the company’s strategic and commercial operations. She also worked with Safmarine Lines in Belgium as Trade Manager, supervising the Intra-Europe and Europe–Mediterranean markets. Her early professional experience was in the financial sector, with BRED Bank (France) and KPMG (Guinea), where she provided advisory services to corporate clients operating in Guinea.
Hon. Sylla holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Oxford (UK), a Master’s in Economic Policy from Williams College (USA), and a Master’s degree in Economics and Business Management from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). She is also the co-author of the book Better Led, Served and Governed World – Envisioning the Future (2014). In addition to her professional career, Hon. Sylla is actively engaged in non-profit initiatives supporting women, youth, and agricultural cooperatives in Guinea.
Speaking At
