From June 23 to 1July, Equatorial Guinea will host the 17th government and Heads of State summit of the Africa Union. The third largest Africa`a crude exporter with an oil earning now over $3 billion a year will welcome 52 African leaders and their first ladies...
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, 69 year old will preside over the summit.
In order to welcome politicians representing some of the world`s poorest nations in Malabo, capital city of Equatorial Guinea, the government has transformed a small resort just 20 minutes from the centre of the capital in a new El Dorado.
Obiang Nguema`s administration has built a multimillion pound deluxe city to host African leaders and heads of governments.
According to the state media, Sipopo boast over 50 luxury presidential villas, a conference hall, artificial beach, luxury hotel and the country`s first 18-hole golf course. All this was built over two years to host an African Union summit that will last just a week.
The government hasn`t yet announced who will benefit from the new investment after the summit. Sources from the government are confident that the government will allocate some presidential villa to government ministers and also to some members of the parliament and military leaders as well.
There is no official or presidential confirmation for the moment. But during last Sunday inauguration ceremony, president Obiang Nguema congratulated his entire government and construction companies for completing the luxurious new city in a record of two years.
The poverty in Malabo still high and the government has not yet done enough to alleviate this from his own people.Thousands still living in slum inside the capital city.
In Sipopo, from next week, experts and foreign African ministers will have the privilege to see with their eyes what oil wealth can do in a country where according to some reports, 75% of people in the country live on less than $1 or 60p a day.
During that week, African leaders will and their first ladies will have access to jacuzzi, heated pool, sauna, fitness centre and country`s first spa at the Sofitel Malabo Sipopo Le Golf.
The country will also co-host the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament with Gabon next year.
.Instead of having many African leaders in one or two hotels, Obiang has decided to build 52 presidential villas. Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader is expected to attend the summit and at the moment there is no confirmation about that. An insider said that, invitations have been sent to all African leaders to attend the 17th African Union summit.
Human rights activists have accused the country`s leadership of brutal repression and also breach of the freedom of the press and information. There is no information available about how much money the country has spent to build the new city.
According to an underground union, in Malabo, wages for low and middle income families have virtually stagnated over the past three decades while a small financial elite have seen their pay rise and wage rises for government ministers and barristers have grown by at least 100%.
The reality is that, the government has spent a large amount of money to build these facilities and nothing done by the same time to alleviate poverty.
As a repressive government, everything has been put in place to avoid any unauthorised uprising or protest from the population and opposition leaders have been offered a deal according to an insider to keep low profile during the summit.A special task force has been formed to tackle any anti-government campaign and protest during the summit.
Police and military chiefs across the country and specially around the town city Malabo have launched a summit campaign to crackdown on human rights activists and anti-government protesters. The campaign co-ordinated by officers from the secret services and the supreme military council will run according to some insider sources for two weeks until Sunday July 3.
In order to welcome politicians representing some of the world`s poorest nations in Malabo, capital city of Equatorial Guinea, the government has transformed a small resort just 20 minutes from the centre of the capital in a new El Dorado.
Obiang Nguema`s administration has built a multimillion pound deluxe city to host African leaders and heads of governments.
According to the state media, Sipopo boast over 50 luxury presidential villas, a conference hall, artificial beach, luxury hotel and the country`s first 18-hole golf course. All this was built over two years to host an African Union summit that will last just a week.
The government hasn`t yet announced who will benefit from the new investment after the summit. Sources from the government are confident that the government will allocate some presidential villa to government ministers and also to some members of the parliament and military leaders as well.
There is no official or presidential confirmation for the moment. But during last Sunday inauguration ceremony, president Obiang Nguema congratulated his entire government and construction companies for completing the luxurious new city in a record of two years.
The poverty in Malabo still high and the government has not yet done enough to alleviate this from his own people.Thousands still living in slum inside the capital city.
During that week, African leaders will and their first ladies will have access to jacuzzi, heated pool, sauna, fitness centre and country`s first spa at the Sofitel Malabo Sipopo Le Golf.
The country will also co-host the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament with Gabon next year.
.Instead of having many African leaders in one or two hotels, Obiang has decided to build 52 presidential villas. Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader is expected to attend the summit and at the moment there is no confirmation about that. An insider said that, invitations have been sent to all African leaders to attend the 17th African Union summit.
Human rights activists have accused the country`s leadership of brutal repression and also breach of the freedom of the press and information. There is no information available about how much money the country has spent to build the new city.
According to an underground union, in Malabo, wages for low and middle income families have virtually stagnated over the past three decades while a small financial elite have seen their pay rise and wage rises for government ministers and barristers have grown by at least 100%.
The reality is that, the government has spent a large amount of money to build these facilities and nothing done by the same time to alleviate poverty.
As a repressive government, everything has been put in place to avoid any unauthorised uprising or protest from the population and opposition leaders have been offered a deal according to an insider to keep low profile during the summit.A special task force has been formed to tackle any anti-government campaign and protest during the summit.
Police and military chiefs across the country and specially around the town city Malabo have launched a summit campaign to crackdown on human rights activists and anti-government protesters. The campaign co-ordinated by officers from the secret services and the supreme military council will run according to some insider sources for two weeks until Sunday July 3.
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