It began with Nexime Technologies Guinea Ecuatorial Ltd, a subsidiary of Nexime Technologies FZLLC, owned by the Arab Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum. In October 2019, dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema made a grand announcement about the launch of a supposed mobile device factory under the «AfriOne» brand, promoted with the absurd slogan “Made in Equatorial Guinea.” As usual, what really happened was predictable: Nexime’s offices were set up on properties owned by Abayak, the Obiang family’s private company, to funnel kickbacks disguised as legitimate business operations.
The government marketed this charade as a major industrial breakthrough: “Production of smartphones, computers, tablets, high-end TVs, and tech accessories.” Four years later, the result is the same old story: the factory does not exist, not a single product has been manufactured, and the millions allocated to the project have vanished. Where are the responsible parties? Who is held accountable? As always under this regime, the answer is: no one.
The history of phantom projects: Mbini, an example of corruption and embezzlement
It is not the first time the government of Equatorial Guinea has embarked on multi-million-dollar projects that lead nowhere. Under the framework of the surreal and failed National Industrialization Plan Horizon 2020, now postponed to 2035, authorities have promoted countless phantom initiatives valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the most shameful examples was the supposed creation of the Mbini Industrial City (CIM), showcased with great fanfare during an industrialization conference held in Sipopo.
At that event, led by the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons and represented by Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, the government unveiled ambitious plans: urbanization, construction of basic infrastructure, and a crude oil refinery as the cornerstone of the project. They even sent 15 officials to Malaysia between 2013 and 2014 for crude oil refining training at Petronas, selling the idea that Equatorial Guinea would leap into the energy transformation sector.
In 2017, the government passed the Decree-Law for the Creation of the Industrial City and Special Economic Zone of Mbini, justifying it with utopian goals: “To promote job creation, attract foreign investment, export quality products, adopt cutting-edge technologies, and position the country in the industrial market.”
The project was budgeted at 374 billion FCFA under the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons’ public investment program for 2017. During this period, César Augusto Mba Abogo served as Director of National Content, and Vicente Abeso was Director of Hydrocarbons. Eleven years have passed since the idea was introduced, and not even the first brick has been laid. Yet, the project’s allocated budget was disbursed and vanished without a trace.
Today, the Mbini Industrial City is a shameful reminder of how the government uses such initiatives as an excuse to embezzle public funds.
Teodorín’s farce and Soma Enterprise Ltd
Now, the dictator’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, recycles the same populist script. Yesterday, in a triumphant tone on his Twitter account, he announced that Soma Enterprise Ltd, an Indian construction company, would invest over $150 million annually in Equatorial Guinea. According to his statement, the projects include an industrial zone in Djibloho and aquaculture areas in Bata, Utonde, and Mbini. Yet, Djibloho, once promoted as the country’s future economic capital, stands as a monument to waste and incompetence: a ghost town with no real economic activity or prospects for development.
Not stopping there, Teodorín added a supposed agricultural project branded as “Made in G.E.” in Mongomo, Micomeseng, and Río Campo, aimed at exporting products. But it takes no deep analysis to see this as yet another empty promise. This is not about development or economic diversification; it is about distracting public attention and keeping Equatoguineans entertained while the Obiang family continues to plunder the nation’s wealth.
Everything for the Obiangs
Nothing moves in Equatorial Guinea without the Obiang family benefiting. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, for instance, is a key partner of the family. He attended the dictator’s son’s wedding as a special guest in 2020 and, months later, signed an agreement with the government—not without first transferring a superyacht to Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. It is clear that such relationships are little more than a front for high-level corruption operations.
The label “Made in G.E.” or “Hecho en Guinea Ecuatorial” is a mockery of the country and its citizens. It does not symbolize development or industry but rather the audacity of a regime that uses these campaigns to whitewash its image while destroying any hope for progress. Every failed project and every dollar that disappears are undeniable evidence of the Obiang family’s utter contempt for the future of Equatorial Guinea.
