Latest embassy news

Ambassador R. Niels Marquardt
Equatorial Guinea Farewell – Talking Points (as prepared)

September 28, 2006

• I have informed President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo that this is my final visit as the accredited U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.  A new Ambassador will soon arrive to live here in Equatorial Guinea among you.

• The need to bid farewell to Equatorial Guinea, to the government and to its people, leads me to reflect on the course taken as well as the course that lies ahead.

• No farewell is really complete without an assessment of what the future holds.

• Over the last two years, I have visited Equatorial Guinea at least two dozen times and have seen enormous changes in both Equatorial Guinea and in the Embassy’s capacity to provide services to Equato-Guineans and to the growing resident American community.

• U.S.-Equato-Guinean relations have deepened and accomplished much in a short time.  Since our Embassy began determining eligibility for non-immigrant visas to the United States a few months ago, over 500 persons have applied.  This exceeds our expectations for the whole year! Many more citizens of Equatorial Guinea are now having the opportunity to participate in training and conferences and take vacations in the United States.  We firmly believe that exchanges between our two countries increase understanding, mutual respect, and the desire to work together on common goals.  

• Closer cooperation between the United States and Equatorial Guinea has resulted in projects that directly benefit the people of Equatorial Guinea.

• American businesses, specifically the hydrocarbon sector, have taken on programs of social responsibility and, in doing so, serve as a positive catalyst for other actors within society.  Their impact on health and education, especially, is measurable, important, and ongoing.  The training provided to EG citizens, both through formal and on-the-job programs, is much more than is ever reported.

• A USAID technical advisor and the first team is now in country to assist the EG government in the administration of social services through a Social Development Fund.  This money from the government of Equatorial Guinea will fund projects in education, health care, support a healthy environment and promote solutions to women’s issues.

• A private American company, MPRI, is partnering with the EG government to provide management, administrative and human rights training to police and military.  Their team is living here and already working with the Ministry of National Security and Ministry of Defense.  The  International Committee of the Red Cross will be a part of this training.

• In environmental protection, there has also been significant progress.

• I have just returned from Moka and the district of Bioko South . There I witnessed firsthand the Bioko Biodiversity Primate Protection Program’s work to help develop EG expertise in natural resource management.  This program, managed by Arcadia University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has established a research and education center in Moka to further awareness of the unique natural biodiversity of Equatorial Guinea.

• Conservation International, a non-governmental organization based in the United States, has also been working with the government of Equatorial Guinea and UNGE to develop and implement conservation strategies with Ministries and local institutions.  Equatorial Guinea has designated 37 per cent of its land as protected National Forest, which we understand is the highest percent of any country in the world.

• Proper conservation implementation could transform EG into a model of environmental protection and offer opportunities in eco-tourism that could attract visitors from around the world.  As new president of Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFA), Equatorial Guinea has a chance to demonstrate regional leadership and innovation that can boost – or diminish -- Equatorial Guinea’s stature.

• The challenges the nation now faces are that of furthering its human capacity, showing evidence that the “rule of law” prevails; engaging all segments of society in decision-making and economic growth; building strong independent government branches and institutions; encouraging the growth of non-governmental institutions; demanding respect for human and civil rights; and rewarding efficient, effective and transparent public and private enterprise.

• Billions of dollars of annual international trade and investment has brought Equatorial Guinea into the collective consciousness of the outside world.  EG needs to fully appreciate how it is perceived from the outside and how that affects potential investors from the United States.  We hope that the U.S. may be a larger player in the economic diversification of Equatorial Guinea as it becomes less dependent on the hydrocarbon industry.

• International actors find new generations of Equato-Guineans eager to seize jobs but lacking the technical and professional expertise required.

• Training, technology transfer and capacity-building are the buzz words of EG’s imminent future.

• Businesses from abroad see a ripe investment climate prejudiced by an apparent lack of modernized, codified laws and standard judicial practices, which translate into eventual commercial risks.

• They see many apparent impediments to small business development.

• Companies watch as resourceful Americans form a Chamber of Commerce in Equatorial Guinea. Because it is the first time this type of non-governmental organization promoting commerce and good business practices has tried to register, the process has been complicated.  There is no all-encompassing NGO law.  We believe the AmCham will be officially approved soon, and our experience may even result in some simplification of the NGO registration process for everyone.

• The world looks forward to a viable, truly independent press operating in EG to reflect a diversity of opinion and encourage citizen participation in decision-making.

• Port security, prosecution of human trafficking cases and the reigning in of corruption would all help the image the country projects abroad.  Workshops held this year, such as one on Maritime Protection with the International Maritime Organization and another on Anti-Bribery with the U.S. organization TRACE International, were well-attended and well-received by EG government officials, so we believe they understand and are committed to addressing these issues.

• Judicial reform, and electoral reform before the 2008 elections, are equally important benchmarks in the minds of many.

• Two very prominent judges from U.S. District Courts visited EG and met with the President of the EG Supreme Court and others to discuss judicial training needs and cooperation.  This potential project promises to complement programs underway by the European Union and Spanish government.

• A small grant has just been awarded to a U.S. non-governmental organization to update an analysis of the EG electoral system and suggest reforms to implement before the next national elections.

• Another benchmark is for better coordination between and control within the government ministries, which appears to be a reform important to the new cabinet.

• Equato-Guineans would be the most direct beneficiaries of more transparency and a true commitment to democratization.  To this end, I must encourage more rapid progress on and support of EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) and open communication about any concerns or misunderstandings.  We have been and continue to be very willing to facilitate this process in any appropriate way. In this respect, we had hoped that the government of Equatorial Guinea would prepare a progress report to present to the bi-annual EITI congress in October.  This would have helped establish the government of EG itself as more than just an “interested party” to this internationally-supported initiative. 

• Communication of the law, execution of the law and implementation of the law need to be a systematic reality.

• Equatorial Guinea is clearly open for business. To advance effectively and in accordance to international standards, guarantees of fair and equal treatment under the law, for all, must be practiced, not just enacted.

• Resident Americans have much praise for the hospitality of the Equato-Guinean people, and I am confident that incoming Ambassador Donald C. Johnson will be received with the same hospitality when he presents his letters of accreditation.

• Until such time as our paths cross again, and with all the fondness that my firm commitment to ongoing reform and development in Equatorial Guinea reflects, I bid you farewell. I will think of you often and of the time that we spent together.