By John Ikani
History has been made in Equatorial Guinea with the appointment of Manuela Roka Botey as the first-ever female Prime Minister of the central African nation.
Botey, who joined the government as the Minister for National Education in 2020, is also the Vice Dean of the National University of Equatorial Guinea’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The country’s Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, took to Twitter to announce Botey’s appointment, saying “For the first time in Equatorial Guinea, a woman is appointed Prime Minister. This is further proof of the commitment to gender equality… in the country. Congratulations, Manuela Roka Botey!”
Botey replaces the former Premier Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, who served in the post for nearly 8 years.
Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1979.
The 80-year-old leader seized power through a coup and currently holds the record for being the longest-serving non-monarch head of state in the world.
Despite this, the regime has faced numerous accusations from international NGOs and Western nations of suppressing all opposition, violating human rights, and promoting corruption.
