Entire government of African state quits
Equatorial Guinea’s entire government has resigned over its failure to meet key targets, the West African nation’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, announced on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua submitted the en bloc resignation of the executive during an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers, the vice president said in a statement.
Osa, a former national bank chief, was appointed in August 2024 after the previous government stepped down following criticism from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo over its handling of the economy, social cohesion, and corruption.
The vice president said the move came after it was established that “the level of fulfilment of the established objectives has barely reached 10%.” The statement did not specify which objectives were not met.
“The degree of execution achieved is clearly insufficient in relation to the expectations and commitments undertaken,” he said. He added that the trust placed in the executive by the head of state “demands efficacy, discipline, management capacity, accountability, and a clear orientation toward results.”
Equatorial Guinea, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s major oil producers, has struggled to translate its hydrocarbon wealth into broad-based living standards. The World Bank said in its 2025 economic update that the country’s economy grew by an estimated 0.9% in 2024, but that the expansion was not enough to protect jobs and earnings, while more than half of Equatoguineans were still living in poverty.
The lender also warned that declining oil production and exports remain a major drag on the economy, with gross domestic product projected to contract by an average of 1.2% in 2025-2027.
Obiang, 84, has ruled the country since seizing power in 1979, making him the world’s longest-serving president. Rights groups accuse his administration of suppressing dissent and concentrating oil wealth among the ruling elite – claims the authorities have rejected as foreign interference.
