Equatorial Guinea

Colonial dependence on France

For 2023, Equatorial Guinea is in colonial dependence on France, which exercises control over all significant processes in politics and the economy. For more on specific instruments of influence, see French Foreign Policy.

Population

Main article: Population of Africa

Migration

2021: Net population inflow in 4 years

Marriages

Allowed to have more than one spouse

Overweight

Mortality

Traffic safety

Foreign policy

2024: Moves towards Russia and China as president's son grows in influence, under sanctions in Western countries

Since the emergence of Russian military personnel in Equatorial Guinea in 2024, its authorities have been taking more and more steps towards deepening cooperation with Russia.

This is due to the fact that since the 2020s, the Americans have been the main allies of the Nguema Mbasonga regime and most oil and gas projects were controlled by Western companies.

But due to the president's advanced age, his son Nguema Mange, nicknamed "Theodorian," who will become his heir, is gaining strength. It is more focused on China and Russia as the main allies, since in most Western countries it is under sanctions.

For this reason, Malabo is trying to attract as much Russian investment as possible in the oil and gas sector, which is the main way to earn money for the country.

2023: Refusal to condemn Russia in Ukraine conflict

Armed Forces

2025: Russia trained 125 fighters of the presidential guard

On May 20, 2025, a ceremony was held to complete the training course for the Presidential Guard of Equatorial Guinea. 125 fighters were trained in the framework of the cooperation program with the "African Corps" of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The presence of Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang at the event confirmed the high political status of the event and confidence in Russian specialists from the core of the ruling regime.

The program covered the full range of personal security tasks: from shooting and escorting VIPs to identifying saboteurs and evacuating in combat.

The role of Russian instructors goes beyond simple technical training - we are talking about building long-term ties with the most loyal elements of the power apparatus.

Trained personnel are not only responsible for the security of the president and his inner circle, but also are a power support in the context of potential domestic political crises.

Such training strengthens Russia's image as a reliable partner capable not only of supplying weapons, but also of maintaining "stability in place."

2024: Deployment of the forces of the African Corps of Russia

During a meeting between Equatorial Guinean President Nguema Mbasonga and the president, Russia Vladimir Putin he thanked Russia for his help in strengthening the defense capability and military instructors training the army.

Fighters of the African Corps arrived in the country in mid-August 2024, where local media captured them at the residence of the president's son in the capital Malabo. Closer to September, some of the troops were sent to the continental part of the country - the city of Bath.

There are no active conflicts in the country, so Russian instructors are more likely to play a political role, demonstrating the support of the current government from Russia. In the context of the global geopolitical confrontation between the United States and China in the region, Nguema Mbasongo has difficulty maintaining neutrality, under pressure from the West.

A few years before that, the Chinese did not manage to create an MTO point in the country for their Navy due to the opposition of the Americans.

Economy

GDP $15,294 per person

For comparison, Russia's GDP in 2018 amounted to $10,950 per capita.

Minerals

Oil production

Gas production

2025: US sanctions blackmail leads to agreement with Chevron on gas supplies

On September 12, Theodorin Nguema Obiang confirmed the conclusion of a major agreement with the American corporation Chevron. After two years of negotiations, the parties agreed to transport gas from Block I to the Punta Europa terminal for processing.

The agreement coincided with the decision of the US authorities to ease sanctions against Teodorin himself. The Washington leadership issued a month-long relief, allowing him to go to a UN session in New York, as well as visit Miami and Los Angeles, cities where villas and cars were previously confiscated from him as part of anti-corruption investigations.

Chevron itself has been operating in Equatorial Guinea for more than 20 years and already owns large stakes in key gas fields: Yolanda, Alain and Alba.

So the White House seeks to limit the growing presence of China, which funds infrastructure projects, and Russia, which strengthens military cooperation in Central Africa.

Washington is ready to turn a blind eye to scandals and sanctions. The fight against kleptocracy takes a back seat when gas fields and rivalries with China and Russia are at stake.

2019: Contract with Italian Sapiem for construction of underwater gas pipeline

In November 2019, the Italian company Saipem received a contract in Equatorial Guinea worth $100 million for the construction of a 70-kilometer underwater pipeline connecting the Alen field with the Punta Europa oil terminal.

Gas supplies for the project being undertaken by Noble Energy are expected to begin in early 2021, Oil Minister Gabriel Obiang Lima said.

The pipeline will serve offshore gas fields and have a capacity of 27 million cubic meters of gas per day.

Alcohol market

No age limits for the purchase of alcoholic beverages

Equatorial Guinea IT Market

2022: No start-up industry

Power

Electrification

Energy carriers

2020: Energy consumption per capita

and

Education

2020: The National University of Equatorial Guinea is the oldest functioning educational institution in the country, founded in 1995

2019: Percentage of people who can read

2018: Literacy rate

Health care

2021: Maternity leave

in

2020: Duration of guaranteed paid sick leave 6 months or more

Crime

Prisons

2019: Minimum age for children to be jailed

2018: Number of prisoners per 100 thousand citizens

History

2020: Hiring presidential aides from Eastern Europe

Equatorial Guinea dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo fully funded the establishment of the African Intelligence and Security Services Committee headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the auspices of the African Union. The fact is that the Equatogvinean leader is very concerned about "foreign interference" in the affairs of African countries, and not in vain. In 2017, an attempt was already made against him at the hands of Chadian and Central African mercenaries. But, ironically, Teodoro Obiang Nguema himself relies heavily on foreign, especially Eastern European mercenaries.

According to the Spanish newspaper El País, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, in violation of international law, hires military pilots from Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania, and the country's borders, according to some reports, are patrolled by unidentified white military.

For a long time, Vladimir Kokorev, familiar to the Ngema clan since Soviet times, was on assignments with Obiang Nguema. He came to the attention of Spanish justice back in the 2010s, and in 2015 he was arrested with his family in Panama and extradited to Spain. Initially, the Kokorevykh couple was accused of laundering 26.5 million petrodollars from the country's budget invested in Spanish real estate. Later, the investigation established that Kokorev was a figurehead of the dictator, acted as an intermediary in the conclusion of transactions (including weapons) and served as a key link in the Eastern European business ecosystem of the tropical dictatorship.

Three more persons appeared in the investigation: Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Stefanov (provided cargo transportation), Ukrainians Vladimir Evdokimov (was convicted in 2005 for selling missiles X-55 Iran and China) and Roman Chelnokov (businessman and honorary consul in Ukraine, who traded arms and was engaged in civil aviation). The two were linked to Kokorev through the Panamanian offshore.

Later, Kokorev tried to restore his good name, allegedly paying the Madrid media agency Cantumleap 140 thousand euros for whitewashing his reputation. However, the couple released on bail for February 2020 is still awaiting trial.

In January 2020, the vice president and son of the dictator, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mange, who was arrested in absentia for corruption in France, invited Russian business to the country, promising him maximum benefits.

2019: President's son's supercar collection seized in Switzerland and sold at auction

The vehicles were seized by Swiss authorities in 2019 as part of an investigation against Teodorin Nguema Obiang, who has ruled the country for 40 years.

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls Royce cars brought in a total of about $27 million.

In September 2019, it was announced that $23 million would go to social projects in Equatorial Guinea, one of the poorest countries in the region.

2013: President receives one of the highest awards of the DPRK

President Theodorin Nguema in 2013 received the Kim Jong Il Order, one of the highest awards of the DPRK.

2003: President declares himself "like God in heaven"

President Teodoro Nguema officially declared himself "like God in heaven" in 2003.

1979: President Francisco Nguema deposed by his nephew Teodoro Nguema and executed

In 1979, President Francisco Nguema was overthrown by his nephew Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and executed.

By the end of his reign, 50 thousand people were killed, more than 100 thousand (a third of the then population) fled from a country where there was no education, no food in the shops, or even electricity.

Nguema kept the country's currency reserves at home and burned them in 1979 before he was deposed.

The Nguema family had especially warm relations with the Kim family from the DPRK. After the coup, the children of Nguema-uncle fled to them.

1969:150 Nguema regime opponents shot on football pitch

Known for his brutality, Equatorial Guinean President Francisco Nguema ordered the shooting of opponents of his regime in a special way at Christmas 1969:150 people were shot by the military dressed in Santa Claus costumes. On the football field.^[1]

Upon coming to power, Francisco Nguema carried out a series of reforms: he closed all newspapers, libraries and public schools and destroyed the military elite of the former Spanish colony and its few intelligentsia.

1914

Sport

2022: The most popular sport is football

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Calendar

Notes