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BBC News: Equatorial Guinea country profile

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BBC News: Equatorial Guinea country profile

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This country profile describes Equatorial Guinea as a "textbook case of the resource curse." This means that Guinea has abundant natural resources, but a corrupt government will not share the supplies with citizens. The intended audience is human rights organizations who realize that brutal leaders suppress democracy while promoting their own agenda in pursuit of wealth.

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Equatorial Guinea is a small country on the west coast of Africa which struck oil in 1995 and which is now being cited as a textbook case of the resource curse - or the paradox of plenty.

It is made up of a mainland territory called Rio Muni, and five islands including Bioko, where the capital Malabo is located.

Since the mid 1990s the former Spanish colony has become one of sub-Sahara's biggest oil producers but a large proportion of the population still lives in poverty.

Rights organisations have described the two post-independence leaders as among the worst abusers of human rights in Africa.

The first president Francisco Macias Nguema's reign of terror - from independence in 1968 until his overthrow in 1979 - prompted a third of the population to flee.

Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring

FACTS

LEADER

Mr Obiang Nguema is Africa's longest serving leader and has been described by rights organisations as one Africa's most brutal dictators.

He seized power in 1979.

According to Human Rights Watch, the ''dictatorship under President Obiang has used an oil boom to entrench and enrich itself further at the expense of the country's people''.

He has been pursued in French courts for allegedly plundering state coffers to buy luxury homes and cars in France.

His son and vice-president, Teodoro 'Teodorin' Nguema Obiang, has been resisting attempts by the US administration to seize his assets, denying charges that they were obtained with allegedly corrupt funds taken from his country.

MEDIA

Equatorial Guinea's media outlets are closely controlled by the government. There are few private publications.

TIMELINE
Some key dates in Equatorial Guinea's history:
1471 - Portuguese navigator Fernao do Po sights the island of Fernando Poo, which is now called Bioko.

1777 - Portuguese cedes islands of Annobon and Fernando Poo as well as rights on the mainland coast to Spain, giving it access to a source of slaves.

1968 - Spanish Guinea granted independence and becomes the Republic of Equatorial Guinea with Francisco Macias Nguema as president.

1979 - Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo seizes power in a military coup.

1996 - Mobil oil corporation announces it has discovered sizeable new oil and gas reserves.

2004 - Coup plot foiled after a plane load of mercenaries is intercepted in Zimbabwe.

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Equatorial Guinea is a small country on the west coast of Africa which struck oil in 1995 and which is now being cited as a textbook case of the resource curse - or the paradox of plenty. It is made up of a mainland territory called Rio Muni, and five islands including Bioko, where the capital Malabo is located.

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Equatorial Guinea's Web of Wealth and Repression: Institute for Security Studies

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Equatorial Guinea's Web of Wealth and Repression: Institute for Security Studies

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This article focuses on the fantastic wealth of Equatorial Guinea, as well as the crushing poverty that the lower classes experience. The intended audience is poorly informed individuals who believe that Equatorial Guinea's poverty is the single story of this country. The authors clearly state that the poor are taken advantage of by wealthy oil businesspeople.

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Equatorial Guinea's web of wealth and repression

2014-07-15

The stark contrast between Equatorial Guinea's vast resource wealth, and its extreme levels of poverty and inequality is a result of a total failure of governance, said the Institute for Security Studies on Tuesday.

Since the start of oil production in the mid-nineties, Equatorial Guinea has become Africa's wealthiest nation on a per-capita basis, and the third-largest oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa. But it is also one of the most corrupt and least transparent; and has one of the widest gaps between wealth and human development.

'This is a situation that is unlikely to change while the Obiang political dynasty rules this oil-rich country' said Stephanie Wolters, reflecting on discussions at an ISS seminar last week on prospects for Equatorial Guinea. Wolters is head of the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division at the ISS.

At the helm of one of the most corrupt and repressive governments in the world, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has positioned himself as a philanthropist through donations to African and international charities, and hosting high-profile events such as African Union (AU) summits.

His son Teodorin is widely expected to take his father's place after the 2015/6 presidential elections, bringing to an end the reign of one of the world's longest serving heads of state. Presidential family members, and members of the president's ethnic clan, occupy all strategic positions in government, including key ministries and state enterprises.

Using their political power, these individuals establish companies or serve on the boards of multinationals that extract oil, market timber, or build major infrastructure projects. State funds that should be used to improve the lives of Equatoguineans are then diverted to buy beachfront villas, private jets, and exotic sports cars.

Inside the country, hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenues are wasted on 'prestige projects' - costly infrastructure projects intended to show that the government is reinvesting oil revenues in the country. One example is the $830 million luxury conference and golf resort in Sipopo, built to host the 2011 AU Summit.

'These prestige infrastructure projects are a money laundering scheme in which construction companies owned by the presidential family present inflated budgets to the state - there are no bidding or procurement processes', said Tutu Alicante, Executive Director of EG Justice, and keynote speaker at the ISS seminar.

'These proposals are swiftly approved, and millions of "clean" dollars end up in private bank accounts belonging to the presidential family. The cases filed by the US Department of Justice against the properties of Teodorin in the US, extensively document this corruption scheme,' said Alicante.

Meanwhile, freedom of association and assembly remain a serious challenge in Equatorial Guinea, and the government imposes severe restrictions on the registration and operation of local NGOs. The government also characterises organisations that criticise Obiang's rule from abroad - for example EG Justice, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Open Society Foundations - as racist, colonialist, or 'enemies' of the state.
For more information contact:
Stephanie Wolters, Division Head, Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis, +27 72 433 4808, swolters@issafrica.org

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Equatorial Guinea's web of wealth and repression - ISS Africa

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2014-07-15 The stark contrast between Equatorial Guinea's vast resource wealth, and its extreme levels of poverty and inequality is a result of a total failure of governance, said the Institute for Security Studies on Tuesday. Since the start of oil production in the mid-nineties, Equatorial Guinea has become Africa's wealthiest nation on a per-capita basis, and the third-largest oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Equatorial Guinea: Squandered Riches by Financial Times

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Equatorial Guinea: Squandered Riches by Financial Times

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This article clearly reveals that Equatorial Guinea is not just a poverty stricken country, it is rather the gap between the rich and the poor that is the biggest problem. The intended audience is poor people living in Equatorial Guinea. This country is blessed with abundant precious resources, which are concentrated in the hands of the wealthy upper class.

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Become an FT Subscriber. Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. Choose the subscription that is right for you Not sure which package to choose?

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Food and Agricultural Organization: United Nations

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Food and Agricultural Organization: United Nations

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This article emphasizes the problems with Equatorial Guinea's outdated agricultural tools. The intended audience is farmers in Guinea, so they can be introduced to modern technologies and more effective ways to grow crops.

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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This article highlights the corruption of some officials in Guinea's government. The intended audience is those who believe that the Guinean people are to blame for hunger, when in fact it is a corrupt administration.

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Aid at risk in Yemen; Another mass shooting in the US; Airstrikes kill civilians in Libya; The "Paradise Papers"; Abuse of female prisoners in North Korea; Forest Defenders at COP23; Turkmenistan activism; Protecting tea workers in India; Seeking equality in China; and Good news from Slovakia

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Corruption, poverty, and repression continue to plague Equatorial Guinea under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979. Vast oil revenues fund lavish lifestyles for the small elite surrounding the president, while a large proportion of the population continues to live in poverty.

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African countries banded together in an effort beginning in 2013 to fight hunger in their continent. Equatorial Guinea's government contributed funds so that hunger can, hopefully, soon be eradicated and food become more plentiful in Africa. The intended audience is those who are facing daily hunger, so they realize that their governments are working on their behalf against starvation.

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22 February 2013, Malabo/Rome - Equatorial Guinea today donated $30 million to a new solidarity trust fund that aims to mobilize African financial resources in support of strengthening food security in the region.

The first donation to the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund was made official in a ceremony at the margins of the third Africa-South America Summit in Malabo, attended by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

Meeting with the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, before the signature of the donation agreement, Graziano da Silva said that the contribution was a sign of the country's commitment to eradicating hunger in Africa.

FAO Regional Representative in Africa, Maria Helena Semedo, who signed the agreement on behalf of FAO, added: "This generous contribution by Equatorial Guinea helps transform political will to end hunger into concrete action. I invite others to follow this example and lend their financial support as well."

From Africa to Africa

The goal of the new trust fund is to pool resources from Africa's strongest economies and use them across the continent to support national and regional food security initiatives aimed at eradicating hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

The idea of the fund was launched during FAO's April 2012 regional conference held in the Republic of Congo, when the host, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, called for greater solidarity between African nations to fight hunger.

Besides Equatorial Guinea, other African countries have expressed their intention to contribute to the fund. Angola is one of them, as President José Eduardo dos Santos told Graziano da Silva when he visited Luanda in late January 2013.

The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund is intended to complement, not supplant, development assistance from overseas donors. At the onset, it will focus in particular on strengthening the resilience of rural families and communities in the face of recurrent droughts and other crises such as the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, scaling up activities that have already proven successful.

Administered by FAO, the fund will support Africa-led, Africa-owned initiatives such as the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) to boost agricultural productivity in the region.

"We can end hunger in Africa if we work together under the leadership of African governments and regional institutions, learning from one another through South-South cooperation and other exchanges," the FAO regional representative added.

Semedo explained that the effort should involve not only governments and international organizations like FAO, but also civil society, the private sector, academia and other partners.

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food and agriculture organization of the united nations

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African trust fund for food security becomes reality

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Equatorial Guinea provides first contribution of $30 million for "Africa for Africa" anti-hunger pool Equatorial Guinea provides first contribution of $30 million for "Africa for Africa" anti-hunger pool 22 February 2013, Malabo/Rome - Equatorial Guinea today donated $30 million to a new solidarity trust fund that aims to mobilize African financial resources in support of strengthening food security in the region.

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Equatorial Guinea by Children's Villages

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Equatorial Guinea by Children's Villages

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This article focuses on the lack of clean, drinkable water in Equatorial Guinea. Running water is scarce, and many diseases are carried in a communal water souce. Due to poor sanitation and an abundance of trash, water supplies are polluted and fresh water is generally not purified. Therefore, it carries diseases, like cholera, which affect those that drink filthy water. The intended audience is children living in Guinea, so they realize the dangers of polluted drinking water.

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General information on Equatorial Guinea

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This article reveals the effect of malnutrition on the health of children. Natural disasters, which keep happening, lessen food security and make citizens question if enough food is in supply. The intended audience is health officials who can critique the effects of hunger on growing children.

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This article provides several answers about why Equatorial Guinea is overall poor despite fantastically wealthy individuals. First, government officials have large amounts of money but hoard it, thanks to the oil industry. Also, oil contracts are given to companies with connections in the government. Ordinary citizens have a slim chance of getting a contract if they do not have a high position in the administration. The intended audience is misinformed individuals who do not believe there are rich officials hoarding supplies from poor citizens.

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The African Union's (AU) discussions about poverty have never focused on Equatorial Guinea, a small but oil-rich country boasting the highest per capita income on the continent. But with its foreign minister, Agapito Mba Mokuy, seeking the African Union Commission chairmanship, it is worth asking why the central African nation has done so poorly on social development despite the country's undeniable wealth.

In 2015, the most recent year for which there is data, only one out of four newborns in Equatorial Guinea were immunized for polio and measles and one out of three for tuberculosis -among the lowest rates in the world. Life expectancy and infant mortality are below the sub-Saharan African average. Roughly half the population lacks access to potable water.

In 2012, about four out of ten 6- to 12-year olds in Equatorial Guinea were not in school, many more than in African countries with far fewer resources per capita. Half of children who begin primary school never complete it and fewer than one-quarter go on to middle school.

Part of the reason that Equatorial Guinea's health and education indicators often lag far behind its much poorer neighbors is the vast personal fortunes that senior government officials have amassed during the oil boom and because of how the country invests-or doesn't invest-in itself.

Overseas spending sprees by the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema have triggered money-laundering investigations that have uncovered a mountain of evidence suggesting systemic corruption across the country's government.

While there are many ways that officials siphon off public oil wealth, public infrastructure projects appear to be a major driver of corruption. The government pours nearly all its oil revenues into construction projects and often awards these contracts to companies that are at least partially owned by high-level officials, including the president. International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports and high-level interviews conducted over the course of an American money-laundering investigation show that the conflicts of interest allegedly led to inflated contract prices and dubious investments in "white elephant" projects with questionable social value.

The government, indefensibly, insists that there are no conflicts of interest when senior officials profit from the state. But the country's people pay dearly for this self-dealing, since stratospheric spending on infrastructure leaves little left over for health and education.

The government's budgets are not public and do not track health and education spending, so only selective data is available in reports by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. But here is what we know. Between 2009 and 2013, Equatorial Guinea took in an average of US$4 billion annually in oil revenue, and spent US$4.2 billion on things like roads, buildings, and airports. IMF data shows that in 2011, it spent only US$140 million on education and US$92 million on health. In 2008, the only other year for which such data is available, it spent US$60 million on education and US$90 million on health, according to the World Bank.

Overall, the government spends around US$80 out of every US$100 in its budget on infrastructure and US$2 to US$3 each on health and education.

These irresponsible budgets are at odds with the development model championed by the African Union, which prioritizes spending on health and education. By comparison, African governments now collectively spend a greater share of their budgets on education than any other region in the world-US$1 for every US$5, or twice as much as the mostly European Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) spends on education, according to one report. Uganda and Tanzania spend almost one-third of their budgets on education, Ghana spends one-quarter, and Cameroon and Gabon spend US$16 out of every US$100, according to a 2010 World Bank report.

The extreme case of Equatorial Guinea shows that neither the African Union nor anyone else can eradicate poverty and promote inclusive growth-the first goal in the AU's Agenda 2063 plan-without tackling corruption. The AU should strengthen its Advisory Board on Corruption and pressure countries that haven't signed the AU Convention to Combat Corruption, such as Equatorial Guinea, to do so.

Perhaps the real tragedy is that after earning billions in oil wealth over the last three decades, Equatorial Guinea's known oil reserves are expected to run out by 2035. Unless new reserves are found, ordinary citizens could find themselves left behind despite their country's massive wealth. The clock is ticking.

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Equatorial Guinea: Why Poverty Plagues a High-Income Nation

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The African Union's (AU) discussions about poverty have never focused on Equatorial Guinea, a small but oil-rich country boasting the highest per capita income on the continent. But with its foreign minister, Agapito Mba Mokuy, seeking the African Union Commission chairmanship, it is worth asking why the central African nation has done so poorly on social development despite the country's undeniable wealth.

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This article makes the situation of hunger in Equatorial Guinea relatable to American citizens who are intrigued about the gap between the rich and poor in Ecuatorial Guinea. The intended audience is individuals who do not know that there is a staggering divide between the privileged and poor in Ecuatorial Guinea.

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SEATTLE - Equatorial Guinea, one of the smallest nations in Africa with a population of roughly 900,000 people, has the highest GDP per capita income on the continent. According to the World Bank, the country's GDP reached its peak in 2012 at $22.39 billion. Oil reserves made up over 90 percent of the GDP but have since declined rapidly. Despite being known as one of the strongest sub-Saharan economies, a higher percentage of people live in poverty in Equatorial Guinea than its two neighboring countries of Cameroon and Gabon. It can only be assumed that hunger in Equatorial Guinea will be, if it is not already, a pressing issue capturing the country.

The most recent information collected on poverty dates back to 2006, when an estimated 76.8 percent of the population lived in poverty. Comparatively, in 2007 neighboring Cameroon had an estimated 37.5 percent of the population living in poverty, and in 2005 Gabon had 32.7 percent. Since then, both countries have seen declining poverty rates. Both countries are host to smaller economies, much larger populations, and Hunger Index ratings that suggest hunger problems.

Equatorial Guinea sits in a bubble between these countries with a declining but still powerful economy with the resources to sustain the small population. And yet, money never seems to leave the hands of the political elite and, with this, the population is left in poverty with limited access to clean water and food.

Indeed, Equatorial Guinea isn't included in the most recent Corruption Perceptions Index or Global Hunger Index, leaving a void of data and its citizens invisible to the global community, and leaving people on the outside trying to pull back the veil. Despite the sparse data available, it's known that Equatorial Guinea's GDP continues to decrease - by 8.2 percent in 2016 and an estimated 5.9 percent in 2017 - due to plummeting oil prices.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, holds the title of longest acting president in the world and has constantly been surrounded by allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. Furthermore, Daniel Bekele of Human Rights Watch has reported, that between 2009 and 2013, Equatorial Guinea received about $4 billion annually in oil revenue, and spent $4.2 billion on infrastructure.

Equatorial Guinea stands on a precipice with most of the country living a subsistence lifestyle, well-versed in the practice of small farming. Indeed, the agricultural sector has the potential to fill the void plummeting oil prices have left in the economy. Only about 10 percent of the arable land is being utilized and agriculture, forestry, and fishing only make up about 1.2 percent of the country's GDP as of 2014.

Furthermore, the Food and Agricultural Organization is, at the moment, pushing for a sustainable and diversified agricultural sector which could balance the nation's economy. This will reduce poverty and create the agricultural production necessary to fight, if not end, hunger in Equatorial Guinea.

Despite the rampant corruption, the vast overspending on infrastructure, the woefully low spending on public health and education, and the mass poverty that captures the country, Equatorial Guinea has the potential to reduce poverty and fight hunger. To do this the veil hiding the country's affairs must be removed.

Data is severely limited, research is sorely needed, and global support is a must. International pressure is beginning to lift the veil, fighting the corruption and pushing the country to diversify its economy which may lead it back to its previous highs and make it a model for countries across the globe, ending hunger in Equatorial Guinea and reducing rampant poverty.

- Joseph Dover

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Shedding the Veil: Poverty and Hunger in Equatorial Guinea

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SEATTLE - Equatorial Guinea, one of the smallest nations in Africa with a population of roughly 900,000 people, has the highest GDP per capita income on the continent. According to the World Bank, the country's GDP reached its peak in 2012 at $22.39 billion.