Books The Life and Legacy of TEODORO OBIANG NGUEMA Africa's Longest-Serving Leader By BEST SELLING AUTHOR Peter Clarke

The Life and Legacy of Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Africa's Longest-Serving Leader, focus on his role as the president of Equatorial Guinea since 1979, making him the longest consecutively serving non-royal national leader in the world. Trained militarily in Spain, he took power in a coup deposing his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, and has ruled with an authoritarian style characterized by accusations of corruption and human rights abuses. He founded the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) and has maintained a dominant-party state with sweeping presidential powers.

Obiang's leadership has overseen the country's emergence as an oil producer while maintaining control through political dominance and placing family members in key government positions. His decades in power contrast sharply with the trend toward democracy in most other African nations. Despite controversies, he held the African Union chairmanship from 2011 to 2012, cementing his influence on the continent.