The Nalu of Guinea

The Nalu of Guinea, numbering approximately 16,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a coastal West African people who settled Guinea and Guinea-Bissau before the Mandinka arrived in the 14th or 15th centuries, whose war canoes killed Portuguese explorer Nuno Tristao in a fierce 1446 skirmish, converting to Islam only in the early 1900s. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Nalu is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Nalu

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Guinea
People Cluster: Atlantic
Primary Language(s): Nalu (naj)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 16,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013428
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Nalu of Guinea

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

95%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Nalu
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Nalu Speakers

Media Resources in Nalu:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Nalu:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Nalu bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Nalu are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Nalu:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Nalu of Guinea

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
readPsalm 96:5

Pray that those who are seeking after worthless idols will not be satisfied until they seek the truth and find it in Christ.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
readPsalm 2:10-11

Pray for the rulers and authorities here to seek the Lord and serve Him only. Pray that the people they lead will be amazed by the work of God in their lives.

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
readPsalm 105:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and may feel weak in their current circumstances, they will seek the Lord's presence and persevere in the Lord's strength.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ...that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
readColossians 4:3-4

Ask God to open doors for believers to share the gospel and help them communicate it clearly so that more people will understand the mystery of Christ and turn to follow Him.

Nalu Across Countries (ROP3 - 107049) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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