Month: October 2015

30 October 2015

This week, UK-based tourism agency Undiscovered Destinations launched small-group adventure tours in Equatorial Guinea. In partnership with Malabo-based agency Ruta 47 (http://visitguineaecuatorial.com), Undiscovered Destinations will provide their adventurous clients from around the world the opportunity to dive in to Equatorial Guinea’s unique scenery and culture through 10-day tours beginning in Malabo. Other destinations on the itinerary include Bata, Oyala, Mongomo, Monte Allen, Corisco, Ureka and Moka, among many others. The first scheduled tour group, to depart on 16 January 2016, is already fully-booked with adventurers hailing from Australia to Canada. Bookings remain open, however, for the next tour group to begin on 26 November 2016. To secure your place, visit Equatorial Guinea’s page on the Undiscovered Destinations website here.

Undiscovered Destinations undertook significant on-the-ground research to prepare the best tour experience possible, making it the only UK tour operator to have personally visited the country. The agency promotes adventure tourism to far-flung destinations around the world, allowing clients to have unique and unforgettable experiences. Their distinctive approach to tourism gives customers the opportunity to learn about and experience some of the world’s most interesting places and peoples. You can learn more about Undiscovered Destinations on its website, www.Undiscovered-Destinations.com.

19.10.2015

From 15-18 October, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s Department of Immunisation carried out the tenth phase of the country’s polio vaccination campaign in the insular region of the country. During the four days of the campaign, children under age 5 were vaccinated in different hospitals, clinics, schools and private homes. Further to this, the health officials conducting the campaign made home visits to find any possible cases of acute paralysis.

This campaign was developed in response to five confirmed cases of the virus last year. On the initiative of Prime Minister Vicente Ehate Tomi, a crisis committee was created to quell the outbreak and ensure that it did not spread further in the country. There have been no confirmed cases of polio since mid-2014.

Read more here: http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=7027

Image: guineaecuatorialpress.com

13.10.2015

On 7 October, President Obiang met with Regional Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the Central and Western African region, Manuel Fontaine. It was Mr Fontaine’s first visit to Equatorial Guinea during his tenure in this position; he came to the country to meet with President Obiang and to personally assess the progress of UNICEF’s work being carried out in Equatorial Guinea.

On this visit, Mr Fontaine stated: “I have met with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to speak with him on the work that UNICEF is executing here in Equatorial Guinea, and it has been an occasion to express to him the congratulations of our superiors for his personal involvement in the eradication of diseases such as poliomyelitis, which is a priority for us. These and other subjects allowed us to exchange points of view on everything at the level of specific actions in the social field such as education and healthcare.”

Read more here: http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=6990

Image: guineaecuatorialpress.com

13.10.2015

On 12 October, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced this year’s winners of the Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Life Sciences. The winners include: Manoel Barral-Netto (Brazil), Professor Balram Bhargava (India) and Dr Alpha Amadou Sall (Senegal).

Manoel Barral Netto is the Head of Research and Director of the Gonçalo Moniz Research Centre. He has spent his career studying the areas of leishmaniasis and malaria, contributing to the development of tools to fight communicable diseases in poor areas.

Professor Balram Bhargava is a Cardiology Specialist at the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences. He specialises in biomedical innovation, public health and medical education. He has helped to create effective and affordable tools to manage cardiovascular disease which have made a significant impact in resource-poor areas.

Finally, Dr Amadou Alpha Sall is Head of the Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Arbovirus and viral haemorrhagic fevers in Dakar, specifically contributing to the fight against diseases like Ebola and dengue fever.

The winners will receive their prize in a ceremony to take place on 14 November in Paris. The Equatorial Guinea International Prize in Life Sciences rewards groups and individuals working in the developing world whose work focuses on specific health problems facing these regions.

Read more here: http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=7004

Image: unesco.org

09.10.2015

On 6 October, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Equatorial Guinea, Francisco Pascual Mba Olo, met with UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) in-country Representative, Olman Serrano, to sign a partnership agreement between the Government of Equatorial Guinea and the FAO. The objective of this agreement is to promote the development of the agricultural sector in Equatorial Guinea, with the potential to be extended to other sectors like livestock, fisheries, forestry and natural resources.

Commenting on this agreement, Mr Serrano said that this “marks the beginning of a change for sustainable agricultural development of this beautiful country”. This partnership will help bring greater food security and self-sufficiency to the nation and its people through strengthening agricultural production, institutional and human capacity, rural development and the promotion of young professionals in the sector. In his speech, Minister Olo Bahamonde emphasised the significance of the agreement for achieving the goals set by the Government in view of Horizon 2020 National Development Plan.

Read more here: http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=6984

Image: guineaecuatorialpress.com

08.10.2015

The Government of Equatorial Guinea recently released its 2015 National Report on the establishment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), demonstrating the country’s significant progress in the MDG framework, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction and health. Between 2006 and 2011, the proportion of the population living under the poverty line dropped from 76.8% to 43.7%. Exceeding the MDG’s targets, the percentage of the population living on less than 2 USD per day is estimated to be 17.38%.

In the area of health care, Equatorial Guinea has again surpassed the MDG’s targets in many areas, particularly in maternal and infant mortality. Through the country’s policy of free access to treatment, maternal mortality was drastically reduced from 1,600/100,000 live births in 1990 to 290/100,000 live births in 2013—a decline of 81%. The under-5 mortality rate has seen a decline in 38% to 113 per 1,000 live births in 2011.

In the area of education, Equatorial Guinea now has the highest literacy rate in Africa, increasing from 88.7% to 95.7%, adding over 40 new schools since the signing of the MDG framework.

Read more here: http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=6956

For the full report, click here: http://embassyofequatorialguinea.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Equatorial-Guinea-Millennium-Development-Goals.pdf