Equatorial Guinea
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Countries
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Congo Brazza
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Togo
Other Regions
Equatorial Guinea is located in western Africa and borders Cameroon, Gabon, and the Bight of Biafra. The capital is Malabo. In 2004 the population was estimated to be 523 thousand with a growth rate of 2.43 percent. Spanish and French are both official languages, while English, Fang, Bubi, and Ibo are also spoken.
The discovery of oil in Equatorial Guinea in the mid 1990s significantly boosted the country’s economy, but it also cost the country its remaining foreign aid. In 1993 the World Bank and the IMF stopped sending funds to Equatorial Guinea because of corruption within the government and dispersion system. The Equatorial Guinea president, Obiang Ngue, Mbasogo, has been in power for almost twenty-five years because of ‘flawed’ elections. The poverty and status of street children does not appear to be a concern of the government. While the national GDP was growing by 20 percent in 2003, unemployment was also 30 percent. Equatorial Guinea has £140 million worth of external debt, and while the government is trying to negotiate more loans, it is unlikely that the public will ever see any of this money.
Most international NGOs in the country are currently focusing on street girls, because of the common discrimination they face, along with dealing overall health issues and HIV care.