The Manya of Guinea

The Manya of Guinea, numbering approximately 107,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Maninka people of eastern Guinea's Kankan region, heartland of the 13th-century Mali Empire founded by Sundiata Keita, among the largest Mande-speaking peoples whose language and griot oral traditions spread across West Africa from that imperial core. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Manya is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Manya

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Guinea
People Cluster: Malinke
Primary Language(s): Manya (mzj)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 107,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG023165
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Manya 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

99%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Manya
Language Family: Mande

100%
%
Manya Speakers

Media Resources in Manya:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Manya:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2018 Edition✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Manya bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Manya 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 Manya:
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 Manya of Guinea

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
readJohn 3:18

Pray for those who are living under the burden of their sin to believe in Jesus, the only Son of God, and receive freedom.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
read1 John 1:5

As mobile phones, radio, and satellite television, and other technologies become more available worldwide, pray for people who are developing digital gospel resources so that others can easily access the gospel.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
readPsalm 121:1-2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and experience hardship, God will remind them that their help comes from the One who made heaven and earth and that He is powerful to meet their needs.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
read1 John 1:5

Pray that God will raise up believers who can share the gospel with people who don't know the good news of Jesus, that God is light and in him, there is no darkness at all.

Manya Across Countries (ROP3 - 111214) 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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