François Sylla

François Sylla (born 9 April 1972) is a Guinean Catholic prelate who serves as the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry, in Guinea, since 2026. Before that, from 2024 to 2026, he was the Coadjutor Bishop of the same Catholic Archdiocese.

He was appointed bishop by Pope Francis. He was consecrated at Conakry on 8 June 2024 by Jean-Sylvain Emien Mambé, Titular Archbishop of Potentia in Piceno, the Papal Nuncio. On 28 February 2026, upon the health-related resignation of Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly from the pastoral care of the Ecclesiastical Metropolitan Province of Conakry, Archbishop François Sylla succeeded him as the new archbishop.

Background and education He was born on 9 April 1972 in Siboty, in the Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry. He attended the Kindia Minor Seminary in Kindia. He then studied at the Jean XXIII Preparatory Seminary, also in Kindia. He studied philosophy and theology at the Saint Augustin de Samaya Major Seminary in Bamako, Mali. He holds a Master's degree in comparative law of religions awarded by the Faculty of Theology of Lugano in Switzerland, where he studied from 2007 until 2010. From 2010 until 2013, he studied at the Pontifical Lateran University, in Rome, Italy, where he graduated with a Doctorate in canon law.

Priest He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Conakry on 21 November 2004. He served as a priest until 11 May 2024. While a priest, he served in various roles and locations, including: