PENRESA I A Vision for AfricaPENRESA I A Vision for AfricaPENRESA I A Vision for AfricaPENRESA I A Vision for Africa
  • Home
  • About us
  • Our solutions
  • Reports
  • Newsroom
    • AFRICA
      • Cameroon
      • Cote dIvoire
      • Djibouti
      • Egypt
      • Equatorial Guinea
      • Eswatini
      • Ethiopia
      • Gabon
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Madagascar
      • Mauritius
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • Nigeria
      • Senegal
      • Seychelles
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • EUROPE
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Montenegro
      • Portugal
      • Serbia
      • Türkiye
  • Penresa TV
    • Corporate Videos
    • Destination Branding
    • Infomentaries
  • Contact us

The Nation’s Visionary

    Home AFRICA The Nation’s Visionary
    NextPrevious
    27-Teodoro-Obiang-equatorial-guinea-president

    The Nation’s Visionary

    By Penresa | AFRICA, Equatorial Guinea, Interview | 0 comment | 28 November, 2018 | 1

    President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo guides Equatorial Guinea peacefully towards the consolidation of a successful bright future; establishing self-sufficiency while aiming to set the nation up as a reference point for the whole of Africa.

    H.E. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo founded Equatorial Guinea’s first political party, the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), in 1987. He has since been re-elected as president of the nation in a series of overwhelming landslide elections. The President’s accomplishments lie in his focus in conserving an atmosphere of peace and stability within the country, while establishing excellent international relations, pushing for progress and ensuring a secure and solid economic growth within Equatorial Guinea. His world view has also yielded success; a passionate supporter of life sciences, President Obiang has founded and financed the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for life-science research and in 2011, he acted as President of the African Union. Penresa had the immense honour and privilege to sit down with the President to talk about Equatorial Guinea’s milestones over the past 50 years, as well as his hopes and aspirations for the nation.

    What have been the nation’s milestones over the past 50 years since independence?

    I lived through the moment of transition from colony to independent state and I was very aware of the change; freedom is at the root of a person’s happiness and people felt encouraged to start working for an independent country after Equatorial Guinea’s independence. After the freedom coup, we had to create a reconciliation programme, we had to attract different political tendencies within the country and that is how the acceptance of the new government began, making it possible for everyone to contribute through development. This is how the country started to see the light for physical and political change. It was not easy because without resources and money we could not do anything; the discovery of oil was a very fortunate situation.

    The country has gone through different phases during your leadership. What has been your major challenge?

    Raising awareness within the international community such as the United Nations, international organisations and other countries, while building up trust for Equatorial Guinea’s new government, which has since occupied relevant positions as a member of the OPEC, non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations and member of the Executive Council of UNESCO, as well as collaborating with a number of countries.

    Can you provide us with a brief outline of Horizonte 2020’s phases?

    When it was announced that Equatorial Guinea was producing oil in 1995, the first thing we did was call the nation’s forces (political, governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the population in general) to define how we were going to use the resources coming from oil. The plan for Equatorial Guinea’s economic development determined how the money was going to be used by investing in important sectors, such as health, education and infrastructure. After five years, we had to redirect the plan, this became Horizonte 2020 and aimed for the nation’s self-sufficiency by 2020. The economy had to be diversified, and we have been working along those lines, investing in infrastructure and the formation of human resources and agriculture, in order to avoid oil being the only product generating income for the state. Unfortunately, the oil crisis and the subsequent price drop in oil occurred; but in spite of the crisis, Equatorial Guinea does not have external debt and we are still funding the pending programmes. What the government has to do now is analyse and study what has been invested in the Horizonte 2020 programme and establish how many years it will take to reach those objectives. According to me, the industrialisation phase will be the key phase that will allow us to achieve self-sufficiency; focusing on our own production is the key to good economic development, not through the big industries, but via the small and medium industries.

    Which are the sectors for investment being prioritised by the government?

    I think that we have to continue working hard. We have invested in social, health and educational sectors. At the moment, we have two universities and various professional schools so we don’t have to send students abroad.

    What are the competitive advantages for new investors in Equatorial Guinea?

    Foreign capital is very sensitive, but the work that we have done has attracted a lot of investment. China has destined a credit of US$2 billion to Equatorial Guinea, with the possibility for us to ask for more if we need it, and it will be given to us under very flexible conditions. We have to use this credit in a rational way to invest mostly in those sectors that can change the image of the country. For locals, the most important thing is legal security; companies find a secure field to recuperate their capital and benefits. We also have the Foreign Capital Investment Law, which is very flexible and encourages a lot of companies to invest. They feel safe to come and do business and obtain benefits because they are being guaranteed by Equatorial Guinea.

    What is the legacy that you want to be remembered for?

    As president, I have seriously defended peace, Equatoguineans live harmoniously. In Equatorial Guinea, there is no ethnic crisis or discrimination. I think that peace will allow the nation to have an inheritance, a fortune that can secure a promising future for subsequent generations; that is my dream.

    How do you see Equatorial Guinea in the next 50 years, what is your vision?

    Our programme is to make Equatorial Guinea an emerging country. The country has to create its own products which will prevent the transfer of its foreign currency abroad. We have to produce our own food; we have to get used to consume what we produce and not consume products that we are unaware of how they are being cultivated. Equatorial Guinea has a very fertile land. I am very satisfied because we are seeing the increase of local products in our markets.

    What message would you like to convey to the readers of FORBES AFRICA?

    We want to maintain good relations worldwide; other nations and international organisations trust Equatorial Guinea, in spite our differences within Africa, such as our language, Spanish. Equatorial Guinea is a multilingual country, we speak English, French, Portuguese and Chinese. We are focused on forming our citizens so they can activate their strengths in any part of the world. The wealth of our nation lies in having public servants in international organisations and possessing the ability to compete with other countries.

    equatorial, guinea, obiang, president, teodoro

    Penresa

    More posts by Penresa

    Related Post

    • 79-Ghana-The-Black-Star-Africa-Penresa-download

      Pioneering Africa’s Legacy

      By Penresa | 0 comment

      Ghana’s trajectory to becoming the most rapidly expanding economy in the world is rooted in its resilience, a dynamic and globally competitive manufacturing sector and the implementation of policies promoting self-sufficiency and global market demand.

    • 80-Uganda-The-Pearl-Africa-Penresa-download

      The Pearl of Africa

      By Penresa | 0 comment

      Under H.E. President Yoweri Museveni’s guidance, Uganda takes bold steps towards consolidating macroeconomic stability and providing optimal business conditions to smooth the way for an inclusive private sector-led and export-oriented economy.

    • 61-seychelles-president-interview-danny-faure-penresa

      A Fiercely Committed Champion Of The Blue Economy

      By Penresa | 0 comment

      With a pledge to protect the “beating blue heart of the planet,” President Faure’s administration has demonstrated constant dynamism to achieve the objectives of the Blue Economy for the benefit of the nation.

    • 61-seychelles-pioneer-nvironmental-conservation-preservation-penresa

      Pioneers Of Environmental Conservation And Preservation

      By Penresa | 0 comment

      Blue Economy and conservation has permeated every aspect of the Seychelles economy, and now the island country offers investment opportunities to continue its mission toward progress and protection.

    • 60-seychelles-blue-economy-penresa

      Seychelles, Leading The Blue Economy

      By Penresa | 0 comment

      Seychelles’ dedication to environmental conservation is unleashing potential in every sector, transforming the country into a haven of research and investment opportunity while protecting the earth.

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    CAPTCHA
    Refresh

    *

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • Changing Perspective To Create Unity And Opportunity
    • The Path To Sustainability
    • Maintaining The Momentum To Excel Across Serbia
    • Building Bridges Between Nations
    • A Flourishing Business Destination

    Archives

    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • November 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • May 2021
    • March 2021
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • March 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • August 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • May 2016
    • April 2016

    Categories

    • AFRICA
    • Africa Undiscovered Series
    • Agriculture
    • Cameroon
    • Côte d’Ivoire
    • Djibouti
    • Egypt
    • Equatorial Guinea
    • Eswatini
    • Ethiopia
    • EUROPE
    • Gabon
    • Ghana
    • International
    • Interview
    • Kenya
    • Lagos
    • Luxembourg
    • Madagascar
    • Malta
    • Market
    • Mauritius
    • Montenegro
    • Mozambique
    • Namibia
    • Nigeria
    • Portugal
    • Senegal
    • Serbia
    • Seychelles
    • Tanzania
    • Türkiye
    • Uganda
    • Video
    • Zambia
    • Zimbabwe
    • Home
    • About us
    • Our solutions
    • Reports
    • Newsroom
      • AFRICA
        • Cameroon
        • Cote dIvoire
        • Djibouti
        • Egypt
        • Equatorial Guinea
        • Eswatini
        • Ethiopia
        • Gabon
        • Ghana
        • Kenya
        • Madagascar
        • Mauritius
        • Mozambique
        • Namibia
        • Nigeria
        • Senegal
        • Seychelles
        • Tanzania
        • Uganda
        • Zambia
        • Zimbabwe
      • EUROPE
        • Luxembourg
        • Malta
        • Montenegro
        • Portugal
        • Serbia
        • Türkiye
    • Penresa TV
      • Corporate Videos
      • Destination Branding
      • Infomentaries
    • Contact us
    Copyright 2020 Wimit's Team
    • Home
    • About us
    • Our solutions
    • Reports
    • Newsroom
      • AFRICA
        • Cameroon
        • Cote dIvoire
        • Djibouti
        • Egypt
        • Equatorial Guinea
        • Eswatini
        • Ethiopia
        • Gabon
        • Ghana
        • Kenya
        • Madagascar
        • Mauritius
        • Mozambique
        • Namibia
        • Nigeria
        • Senegal
        • Seychelles
        • Tanzania
        • Uganda
        • Zambia
        • Zimbabwe
      • EUROPE
        • Luxembourg
        • Malta
        • Montenegro
        • Portugal
        • Serbia
        • Türkiye
    • Penresa TV
      • Corporate Videos
      • Destination Branding
      • Infomentaries
    • Contact us
    PENRESA I A Vision for Africa