Yes, Obiang Has Been in Power for a Long Time, But…

Leadership is one of the most contested dimensions of African political history. It is also one of the most misunderstood. In the case of Equatorial Guinea, the story is frequently reduced to caricatures, headlines, or external narratives crafted by those who often know little about the reality on the ground. For more than four decades, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled the nation, becoming one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world. That fact alone tends to overshadow everything else: critics focus on the years in power without pausing to consider the deeper complexity of what has been built, what remains, and what still must change.

It is easy to say: “Obiang has ruled too long.” That is true. Time, in political life, accumulates its own weight, and no leader should outlive the very institutions they were meant to strengthen. But fairness requires another angle: Equatorial Guinea today is not what it was in 1979. And that transformation, for better or worse, is tied to Obiang’s era. To reduce the story to a single narrative of excess or corruption is to miss the truth that lies in between — a truth that Africans themselves, and particularly the people of Equatorial Guinea, must articulate beyond the simplifications of international observers.

The Infrastructure Revolution

One cannot speak of Equatorial Guinea under Obiang without mentioning the infrastructure miracle. Few African countries of similar size can claim what this nation possesses: a network of paved roads and highways that span the entire national geography. From Malabo to Bata, from Ebebiyín to Mongomo, roads exist where once there was only jungle, mud, and isolation.

In many African nations, the excuse of “lack of infrastructure” continues to paralyze progress. But in Equatorial Guinea, one can drive across the nation on smooth asphalt, across modern bridges, through tunnels, and along coastlines that once were unreachable. This is not an illusion; it is visible, tangible, undeniable.

Alongside the roads comes the reality of electric power. Equatorial Guinea is one of the few African states where permanent electricity exists throughout the national territory. Towns and villages that once lived in darkness now enjoy stable light. Electricity is not a luxury in Equatorial Guinea; it is a norm. For a continent where millions still live without it, this achievement is remarkable.

Healthcare, Education, and Urbanization

Beyond roads and electricity, hospitals, schools, and urban development projects stand as symbols of the Obiang era. Malabo and Bata are no longer the sleepy towns of the 1980s; they are transforming into cities with modern skylines, ports, and international airports. The government has invested in hospitals equipped with advanced technology, medical training programs, and universities.

It is not perfect. Access remains uneven, and the depth of services varies by region. But the fact remains: Equatorial Guinea is not frozen in time. There is movement, there is change, there is development. And that cannot be ignored.

The Shadow Side: Transparency and Resource Management

But if one hand has built, the other has concealed. Equatorial Guinea is rich in oil, gas, and natural resources. Since the 1990s, hydrocarbons have transformed the nation’s GDP, making it one of the wealthiest African states per capita. Yet this wealth has been clouded by secrecy.

Here lies the core question:

• Where is the money from natural resources going?

• Who controls it?

• How is it distributed?

• Why does it often resemble a pirate economy, or what some call “state contraband”?

Critics argue that the nation’s wealth has been siphoned into private accounts, luxury properties abroad, and extravagant lifestyles. Defenders respond that this is the nature of global politics: Western oil companies, banks, and states have also been complicit, extracting far more than they have invested in the people.

The truth lies somewhere in between. Yes, there has been corruption. Yes, there has been opacity. But the deeper tragedy is that the lack of transparency prevents the people themselves from fully participating in their own wealth. Oil should be a blessing, not a curse. Gas should be a foundation for collective prosperity, not a symbol of inequality.

The New Beginning: What Must Change

If Equatorial Guinea is to transcend its current model, the shift must be toward transparency, accountability, and sustainability. It is not enough to build roads and hospitals; the people must know how their resources are managed. They must trust that their wealth is being reinvested into their futures, not hidden away.

This is not just about economics. It is about dignity. A nation that has achieved so much in infrastructure must also achieve clarity in governance. The same energy that lit every village must also illuminate every financial transaction. The same determination that built highways across mountains must also construct institutions of accountability.

A Balanced Judgment

To be fair: Obiang has done some things very well.

• He connected the nation through modern infrastructure.

• He electrified the entire geography.

• He built schools, hospitals, airports, and cities.
  These are not minor achievements; they are historic, particularly when compared with nations of similar size and wealth that have not managed the same.

But fairness also demands acknowledgment of the other side: the opacity, the concentration of power, the lack of clear succession, and the unresolved question of wealth distribution. These shadows continue to haunt Equatorial Guinea, and unless addressed, they threaten to erase the light of the achievements.

The Final Word: Africa Must Speak Its Own Truth

The discourse about Equatorial Guinea, like much of Africa, is often hijacked by external voices. Western media, NGOs, and think tanks produce reports that emphasize only corruption, dictatorship, and human rights abuses. While these issues exist and should not be denied, it is equally unjust to ignore what has been built.

Africans must learn to speak their own truth: truth in full, not in fragments.
Yes, Obiang has been in power too long.
Yes, Equatorial Guinea must change, evolve, and democratize.
But also yes: there are roads everywhere. There is permanent electricity everywhere. There is infrastructure that many other African nations dream of.

The task now is not to erase Obiang’s legacy, but to transform it into a foundation. The roads must lead to opportunity. The electricity must power innovation. The wealth must build a future. The time has come for Equatorial Guinea to move from survival and secrecy to prosperity and transparency.

Conclusion

History is never black and white. It is layers, contradictions, shadows, and light.
Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled Equatorial Guinea for decades. Too many decades, perhaps. But within those years, there are undeniable achievements: connectivity, light, and modernity. And within those same years, there are undeniable flaws: opacity, inequality, and a system that often resembles contraband more than governance.

The challenge now is not to rewrite the past, but to reimagine the future.
A future where Africa’s resources are not a pirate economy but a people’s economy.
A future where Equatorial Guinea’s roads do not just connect villages, but connect generations.
A future where electricity does not just light homes, but lights possibilities.

Yes, Obiang has ruled for too long.
But yes, he has also done some things very well.
And it is precisely in that tension — between light and shadow — that the true story of Equatorial Guinea must be told.

✍️ Atentamente,

Javier Clemente Engonga™
Presidente – World War News TV™
CEO & Director Ejecutivo – República Digital de Guinea Ecuatorial™
📍 Malabo | London | www.worldwarnews.online