This article covers India's development partnership with Guinea-Bissau: the line of credit under the Team-9 Initiative, projects funded through the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund, humanitarian and COVID-19 assistance, support for elections, energy and defence contacts, and training under ITEC. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026, with amounts and dates as the brief gives them.

Line of credit

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, Guinea-Bissau is a founder member of the Team-9 Initiative. Under this framework, the Government of India earmarked a line of credit (LOC) of US$ 25 million for Guinea-Bissau:

  • US$ 5 million for the food processing and agricultural sector
  • US$ 20 million for Rural Electrification projects

IBSA Fund projects

Under the India-Brazil-South Africa Fund, four projects have been undertaken in Guinea-Bissau, with a combined value of around US$ 830,000:

  • Development of Agriculture and Small-animal Herding (Project I), from March 2005 to September 2007
  • Agricultural Development and Services to Rural Communities (Project II), from August 2009 to September 2011
  • Support for Lowland Rehabilitation and for Agricultural and Livestock Processing, from July 2011 to May 2015
  • Rural Electrification through Solar Energy Systems, from July 2011 to May 2015

An expert in rice cultivation from India visited Guinea-Bissau in early 2006 to assist the country under the IBSA Dialogue Forum's "Poverty Alleviation Funding Facility".

Humanitarian and COVID-19 assistance

India supplied 1000 tons of rice to Guinea-Bissau as emergency aid in September 2018.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, India donated a large quantity of medicines to Guinea-Bissau. The Honorary Consul of India handed them over to Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam in August 2020. The package included hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol and other drugs that the brief says were immediately required to fight the pandemic.

Support for elections

At the request of the Government of Guinea-Bissau, the Government of India donated indelible ink in May 2023 for the National Assembly elections held on 4 June 2023.

Energy

Guinea-Bissau has taken part in Indian-hosted energy events. Mr. Issuf Balde, Minister of Energy and Industry, took part in the Energy Session of the Voice of Global South Summit 2.0 on 17 November 2023. Mr. Fernandes Silva Dojo, Inspector General in the Ministry of Energy, took part in the Eighth Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly in New Delhi on 27-30 October 2025.

Defence

Eng. Marciano Silva Barbeiro, Minister of State for National Defence, took part in the DefExpo and India-Africa Defence Ministers' Conclave in Gandhinagar in October 2022, and in Aero India in Bengaluru in February 2023. The Navy Chief of Guinea-Bissau, Rear Admiral Helder Nhanque, took part in the International Fleet Review, IFR-26, and MILAN 26 in Visakhapatnam on 17-20 February 2026.

ITEC and other training

A special ITEC English Language Proficiency Course for 25 participants from Guinea-Bissau was organised from 17 September to 31 October 2019. The brief states that regular capacity building courses under the ITEC and ICCR programmes are available to Guinea-Bissau.