Another African Country Has Shown Interest in Entertaining Russian Deals
Russia’s energy investment into African countries such as Algeria, Congo, and Tanzania, has caught the attention of its contemporaries as Equatorial Guinea hopes to get in the mix.
As Moscow continues to reiterate its commitment to deepening economic ties in Africa, more African nations are exploring the feasibility of Russian partnerships in their energy sectors.
These partnerships often involve oil and gas exploration, infrastructure development, and technology transfer, areas in which Russia has expressed a strong willingness to collaborate.
For Equatorial Guinea, Russia’s expansion into Africa presents an opportunity to bolster its energy sector.
Equatorial Guinea’s interest in Russia’s energy and mineral investment was highlighted by the Deputy Minister for Hydrocarbons and Mining Domingo Mba Esono during a conference on cooperation between both countries.
He noted that Equatorial Guinea is ready to cooperate with Russia, providing what resources it has available to it.
“Our ministry welcomes the entry of Russian companies into our market and, for its part, is ready to provide them with the necessary information,” the minister stated.
Mba Esono also mentioned that Russian businesses are currently indicating more interest in Equatorial Guinea and recalled the USSR’s active collaborations in several areas.
During the meeting as reported by Sputnik, the minister proceeded to discuss the plans of Russian companies to conduct geological exploration work to find mineral deposits, as well as the projects of the Russian state-owned multinational energy corporation Gazprom in Equatorial Guinea.
With African countries increasingly looking to diversify their economic partnerships beyond traditional Western and Chinese investors, Russia’s growing presence in the continent’s energy landscape signals a shift in global alliances.
Whether Equatorial Guinea’s interest in Russia translates into a formal agreement remains to be seen, but its willingness to engage highlights the increasing competition for influence in Africa’s resource-rich economies.
Military alliance between Russia and Equatorial Guinea
In November, Reuters reported that Russia purportedly sent around 200 troops to the Central African country.
This preceded reports that Russia was training a group of elite guards in Equatorial Guinea’s two main cities – the capital Malabo and Bata.
Some of the men in training as per the report were supposedly members of the paramilitary group Corps Africa, which was formerly known as Wagner before being rebranded and formally placed under Russian military command.
They were there, purportedly to protect 82-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who has ruled since seizing power in a coup in 1979 and is grooming his favourite son to succeed him.
There were other reports of sightings of the mercenaries in both Malabo and Bata, apparently implying that they were there to defend the president and his family.
In April last year, Russia announced plans to build a Russian embassy, Equatorial Guinea
Chinedu Okafor