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Nearly eight months after it was officially declared the new political capital of Equatorial Guinea, Ciudad de la Paz remains largely deserted, with empty streets and unfinished plans to turn it into the country’s centre of power.
Built deep inside the equatorial forest on the mainland, the city has modern infrastructure including two new hotels, a hospital, a university and government buildings. But despite the investment, there are still few signs of daily life, with no visible population, shops or schools operating.
“We still don’t see anything here that could make us think we’re in a capital,” university lecturer Cipriano Ela told AFP.
In January, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s government officially renamed the city, formerly known as Oyala, as Ciudad de la Paz and designated it the new capital of the oil-rich Central African nation.
The move transfers the seat of government from Malabo, the capital since independence from Spain in 1968, to the mainland interior, closer to the borders with Cameroon and Gabon.
Authorities say the relocation is part of a long-term strategy to create a modern administrative centre away from the crowded island capital. The project, launched in 2008, has been financed by the state, with infrastructure built by Chinese, South Korean and Italian companies.
Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue described the move as a step towards strengthening national identity and economic development. In a January post on X, he said the new capital would “drive the creation of thousands of jobs” and represent a break from colonial-era structures.
The government also argues that Ciudad de la Paz’s central location provides room for expansion, with plans for the city to cover about 32,000 hectares and eventually accommodate 65,000 residents.
However, the transition has faced major challenges, particularly the lack of housing and essential services needed to attract residents.
“Nothing has changed,” a resident of Oyala Poblado, a settlement near the new capital, told AFP, saying only an identification centre had improved access to government services.
Some ruling party employees who moved from Malabo say they have been forced to remain in Bata, the country’s economic hub, because Ciudad de la Paz lacks basic facilities.
“No hospitals, no schools, no supermarkets. We just go down to Ciudad de la Paz to carry out a few small jobs, then we go back up to Bata,” one Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea employee said.
Although parliament briefly met in the new legislative building in July, lawmakers later returned to Bata, highlighting the slow pace of the relocation.
The government has signed agreements to support housing and electricity development, hoping to encourage civil servants and families to move.
For now, Ciudad de la Paz exists as a capital in name, waiting for residents, businesses and public services to transform its empty avenues into a functioning city.
