The ports of Bata and Malabo, considered key economic engines of Equatorial Guinea, are facing an unprecedented management crisis that reflects a series of structural and operational deficiencies. However, beyond administrative and financial errors, this situation is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a broader pattern of corruption and mismanagement that has characterized the country’s port administration for over 38 years. The family of dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema has been complicit in and benefited from this systematic looting, with key figures such as José Eneme Obama (Chele) and the dictator’s children—María Luisa Mangue Obiang Saw, Inocencio Ngomo Obiang, and Alberto Ndong Obiang Lima—who have controlled and exploited port resources for their personal gain.
A recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Equatorial Guinea branch on port management has identified serious irregularities affecting operations. First, the legal status of the ports remains unclear, generating uncertainty in their management and complicating any attempts to reform or improve them. Furthermore, the lack of administrative and accounting procedure manuals revealed the absence of an organized structure, fostering opacity and malpractice.
Manual processing of payroll and transactions, an outdated and error-prone system, affects approximately 1,000 employees, reflecting a level of inefficiency that would be unacceptable in any other company or public institution. The lack of documentation for reimbursement and bank transfer transactions is also alarming, as it suggests irresponsible handling of public funds and opens the door to corruption. The absence of data sheets for operational equipment, coupled with the lack of software for asset and maintenance management, not only jeopardized port operations but also reflected neglect of infrastructure and resources that should be managed efficiently and transparently.
What might seem like a series of isolated administrative failures in the management of the Port of Bata is actually part of a systematic pattern of looting port resources in Equatorial Guinea. Since Teodoro Obiang Nguema came to power in 1979, the country’s ports have been under the control of his family, which has used these strategic assets as a continuous source of personal enrichment. José Eneme Obama (Chele), who passed away on October 17, was a key figure within Obiang’s inner circle and played a central role in managing the ports. Along with the dictator’s children—María Luisa Mangue Obiang Saw, Inocencio Ngomo Obiang, and Alberto Ndong Obiang Lima—they have been complicit in the plundering of the ports, managing resources and contracts in an entirely opaque manner. The management of these ports has been marked by a lack of transparency, fund diversion, and the awarding of contracts for works and infrastructure without proper justification or technical documentation.
For decades, this family has accumulated wealth through inflated contracts, manipulation of acquisitions, and control of port operations. The current state of the ports is nothing more than a reflection of this corrupt management model that has prevailed in the country under Obiang’s rule, where the presidential family’s wealth has been built at the expense of state resources.
Obiang’s regime hands over control to foreign companies
Faced with the disastrous management of Equatorial Guinea’s ports, Teodoro Obiang’s regime and his family have been forced to admit their failure and hand over control of the country’s most important ports to foreign companies. In an attempt to cover up the situation without holding those responsible for the ports’ ruin accountable, the government launched a supposed public tender for the rehabilitation, modernization, expansion, operation, and maintenance of the ports of Bata and Malabo. Two companies submitted proposals for the tender: the Turkish Albayrak and the Filipino International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
According to sources confirmed by Diario Rombe, the Turkish company’s proposal amounted to $285,299,076, broken down into $180,242,966 for equipment and $105,056,110 for infrastructure. In addition, Albayrak proposed a project to build a dry port in Ebebiyin, a political stronghold of the Engonga Edjo family, with an investment of $21,584,310. On the other hand, the Filipino proposal was significantly lower, with an investment of only $25 million in equipment—an amount the regime deemed ridiculous compared to the Turkish offer, which maintains close ties with Obiang’s business partners.
According to the same source consulted by Diario Rombe—who requested to remain anonymous—the Turkish offer was ultimately accepted by the Obiang family. The reason behind this choice was clear: while the Filipinos wanted to take full control of the ports, paying only royalties to the state, the Turks agreed to a 51% stake in the business, leaving the state with 49%. However, this 49% would remain under the direct control of the Obiang family, ensuring that, although the regime appeared to cede some control, the true management would remain in the hands of the same corrupt actors as before.
The joint venture
According to sources close to the government of Equatorial Guinea, Diario Rombe has confirmed that the Albayrak Group, owned by one of Turkey’s most influential business families, and the government of Equatorial Guinea, represented by Holding Guinea Ecuatorial S.A., have reached an agreement to create a joint venture. The goal of this venture is to act as the concessionaire and benefit from the license granted under the concession agreement signed on Thursday, November 14. With a capital of 100,000,000 CFA francs, the Albayrak Group will control 51% of the shares and will take the presidency of the board, consolidating its power over one of the country’s most strategic assets: the ports of Equatorial Guinea.
This agreement once again reflects the pattern of disastrous and misguided decisions made by Teodoro Obiang’s regime. While the country continues to be looted by a small circle of powerful figures linked to the dictator, the Guinean government is ceding crucial resources to foreign interests, leaving its people without a voice or participation in the development of their own economy. Holding Guinea Ecuatorial S.A., a public entity that should be responsible for diversifying and strengthening the national economy, is under the control of the Obiang family, turning this «joint venture» into a farce. Rather than promoting real economic development, this agreement reaffirms the extractivist and clientelist model that has prevailed for decades in the country.
The Albayrak Group is not only a key player in the Turkish economy, but its ties to Berat Albayrak, former Minister of Energy and Finance and son-in-law of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, further highlight the opportunistic nature of this deal. By handing over control of the ports to a foreign conglomerate, the government of Equatorial Guinea is mortgaging the country’s future, ensuring that the benefits of its strategic infrastructure continue to flow abroad, while the Guinean people remain relegated to poverty and exclusion.
Such decisions, deeply damaging to the sovereignty and development of Equatorial Guinea, not only reflect a lack of leadership but also a flagrant betrayal of national interests. The concession of key resources to foreign actors, under the direction of a corrupt elite, is a surefire recipe for perpetual impoverishment and dependency.
A dangerous contract benefiting only the Obiang family
The government of Equatorial Guinea and representatives of the Albayrak Group signed a concession contract yesterday for the rehabilitation, modernization, expansion, operation, and maintenance of the ports of Bata and Malabo. Despite clear warnings from state lawyers, who suggested limiting the concession to a maximum of five years to protect national interests, the contract was signed for 25 years—an agreement that not only jeopardizes the future of the ports but also reflects the ongoing transfer of the country’s resources into the hands of foreign companies and the Obiang family’s interests.
The official justification provided by advisors to the dictator’s son is that the concession could be extended to 30 years if the investor needs to recover their investment. However, this explanation is not only empty but also a mere excuse to justify a disproportionate contract that is highly beneficial to the business partners of the Obiang family. The argument that the CEMAC regulations allow such extended terms is being used as a smokescreen to hide what is truly happening: the systematic looting of the country’s resources under the guise of «foreign investment.»
It is important to note that the contract is subject to review every five years, but this detail does not change the underlying reality: the ports—key assets of Equatorial Guinea—are now outside of the effective control of the state and are under the influence of a Turkish company that is acting as a privileged partner of the regime. Such agreements have become the norm under a government that has proven itself incapable of protecting national interests and, once again, prefers to benefit its allies and family at the expense of the nation’s sovereignty and the well-being of its people.
The 25-year term is not only excessive but also represents another chapter in the history of corruption and nepotism that has characterized Teodoro Obiang’s government. The ports of Bata and Malabo, which should be a source of development and prosperity for the country, are being handed over to a foreign company with which the Obiang family continues to share profits and control. This decision is not only a betrayal of the people’s interests but also further proof that the regime continues to use the country’s resources as personal spoils.
In most countries around the world, key ports are publicly owned and managed by port authorities linked to municipal, regional, state, or national governments. These entities are responsible for managing, administering, and developing port infrastructure, as well as regulating and promoting trade and maritime transport. However, in Equatorial Guinea, under Obiang’s leadership, the management of the country’s key ports has taken a completely misguided and dangerous turn.
The regime has handed over 51% of the ports of Malabo and Bata to a private foreign company of Turkish origin, with no ties to the country and no plausible justification. This decision is not only an act of irresponsibility but a serious strategic mistake. While other nations maintain control over their ports as vital national assets, Obiang has decided to place this crucial infrastructure in the hands of foreign entities, a decision that jeopardizes the security and stability of the country. The model adopted by Equatorial Guinea stands in stark contrast to nations that protect their strategic assets.
