Equatorial Guinea's First Ever Female Prime Minister Emerges
Equatorial Guinea has produced its first female prime minister after Manuela Roka Botey was nominated to the office by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
After being appointed to the position in August 2020, Botey oversaw all aspects of national and higher education and sports. Also at the National University of Equatorial Guinea, she served as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences.
"For the first time in Equatorial Guinea, a woman is appointed prime minister," tweeted the vice-president and son of the head of state, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, aka Teodorin. He argued that this showed the country was serious about its goal of achieving gender equality.
Botey is taking over as prime minister from Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, who served for almost eight years.
After unseating his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema in a coup in 1979, Obiang Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled Equatorial Guinea ever since.
Obiang, who is 80 years old now, has been in office longer than any other head of state in the world, monarchs excluded.
His dictatorship is routinely accused by international NGOs and Western capitals of crushing all dissent and flouting human rights while also being condemned for widespread corruption.