Republic of Guinea: Fatoumata Barry
Born in 1954 in Mamou, Republic of Guinea, Fatoumata Barry is considered the first professional woman architect in the Republic of Guinea. She started her collegiate education in civil engineering at the Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry in Conakry, Guinea (c. 1973), before being selected as one of ten recipients of the Fidel Castro scholarship, which permitted her to study architecture at the Université de La Havane in Havana, Cuba (c. 1973-1979). After graduation, she returned to the Republic of Guinea, and interned at the Ministry of Mines and Geology; she also worked for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. Barry is the founder of Cabinet Archi-Plus, an architectural firm located in the Republic of Guinea. She is a member of the Association of Women Engineers, and served as President of the first National Order of Architects of Guinea (ONAG, 2016–2018).
References
Akanni, Nadjath. “Black African Women ‘Killing It’ in Architecture.” Teakisi (blog), September 22, 2021. https://teakisi.com/black-african-women-killing-it-in-architecture/.
Barry, Fatoumata. LinkedIn, accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-fatoumata-39118535/?originalSubdomain=gn.
“Guinea’s First Female Architect, Head of an Architectural Firm, Ms. Fatoumata Barry Is a Distinguished Woman. ACTU-ELLES, February 13, 2019. https://www.actu-elles.info/portrait/premiere-femme-architecte-de-guinee-patronne-dun-cabinet-darchitecture-mme-fatoumata-barry-est-une-femme-distinguee/%20.
“Première femme architecte de Guinée, patronne d’un cabinet d’architecture, Mme Fatoumata Barry est une femme distinguée.” ACTU-ELLES, February 13, 2019. https://www.actu-elles.info/portrait/premiere-femme-architecte-de-guinee-patronne-dun-cabinet-darchitecture-mme-fatoumata-barry-est-une-femme-distinguee/%20.
talkswithakk. Instagram. “HOMMAGES FEMMES ARCHITECTES AFRICAINES: Mme Fofana Fatoumata BARRY,” March 10, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DHA5iSXNugC/.
