Today, February 1st, the President of Equatorial Guinea Obiang Nguema Mbasogo appointed the vice-minister for education, Manuela Roka Botey as the country’s Prime Minister, making her the first female prime minister in the country.

Her new appointment as Prime Minister was announced on the state’s television as she took over from Francisco Pascual Obama Asue who was in the seat of power for almost eight years.

Manuela Roka Botey held the position of the Vice-rector of the National University of Equatorial Guinea and Sister Militant in the Baney PDGE District Monitoring Commission.

On his Twitter handle, Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue celebrated Roka Botey, as he said that her appointment is a display of the commitment to gender equality and opportunities in the West African country.

In November 2022, Obiang was re-elected for a sixth term in office making him the world’s longest-serving head of state, excluding the monarch. The country has only had two presidents since it gained independence in 1968 from Spain.