Labe

Labé is Guinea's highland region in the Fouta Djallon massif—the 'water tower of West Africa' where the Niger, Senegal, and Gambia Rivers originate. Despite its ecological significance, Labé has the highest poverty rate in Guinea: 72.4% versus Conakry's 15.7%. Multidimensional poverty reaches 49.4% in interior regions like Labé, reflecting lack of access to education, health, and basic services rather than just income. The region's Fulani population has historically been politically influential, but military rule since 2021 has marginalized traditional power structures. Agriculture—subsistence farming and cattle herding—dominates the economy, with limited formal employment. Unlike Boké (bauxite) or Kankan (iron ore), Labé lacks major extractive industries and thus receives minimal mining investment. The urban-rural divide defines Guinea's development failure: a nation ranked 182nd in HDI despite holding one-third of global bauxite reserves, where coastal mining wealth fails to penetrate the interior. The junta's Simandou 2040 plan promises diversification into agriculture and education, but Labé remains disconnected from the mineral revenues that could fund development—a highland trapped in the shadow of lowland extraction.