Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo reappointed Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua as prime minister yesterday, four days after he and his entire cabinet resigned over failing to meet government targets.
The cabinet submitted its collective resignation on June 16 after an internal review found that ministries had achieved barely 10 percent of their stated objectives, according to Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. The government had been appointed in August 2024 with the mandate to drive economic and infrastructure development across the central African nation.
Osa Nsue Nsua, a former director of Equatorial Guinea’s national bank, was first appointed prime minister in August 2024. His reappointment signals President Obiang’s intention to retain the economist despite the cabinet’s poor performance record. According to Bloomberg, ministers for the new government will be named in the coming days, with the administration likely to feature a reduced number of ministries compared to its predecessor.
The resignation-and-reappointment pattern reflects a governance practice in Equatorial Guinea where administrations step down to acknowledge accountability for unmet targets, though key figures may be retained. A comparable precedent occurred in August 2020, when Prime Minister Francisco Pascual Obama Asue resigned along with his entire government after falling short of objectives. He was reappointed just four days later, mirroring the current sequence.
The specific performance targets that triggered the resignation have not been publicly detailed, though Vice President Mangue’s announcement emphasized the significance of achieving only 10 percent of goals. The new cabinet’s composition and any changes in policy direction will become clearer once ministers are formally announced.
Sources
- Bloomberg — Reported the reappointment of Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua on June 20 and confirmed the new cabinet will be smaller than its predecessor.
- Xinhua — Confirmed the June 20 reappointment and noted that Osa Nsue Nsua was first appointed PM in August 2024.
- BBC — Reported the cabinet resignation on June 17 and noted the government achieved barely 10 percent of targets.
- Reuters — Reported the government’s resignation due to missing performance targets.
- The Washington Post — Reported the cabinet resignation after achieving only about 10 percent of its goals.
