Equatorial Guinea

The Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project (BIMEP) has been instrumental in addressing one of the most significant public health threats in Equatorial Guinea: malaria. The program combats malaria with an integrated approach, providing free-of-charge malaria-control measures to all residents on Bioko Island, including distributing long-lasting insecticide nets, targeted indoor residual spraying, epidemiological surveillance, mosquito vector monitoring, communications to support behavior change and robust monitoring and evaluation systems. Since 2003, BIMEP has been funded through a public-private partnership including MEGPL, Noble Energy EG Ltd (a Chevron Company), AMPCO and the Government of EG, with a total investment of over U.S. $192 million as of December 2022. This innovative, full-scale public health intervention program has achieved several major accomplishments, including:

• 66% reduction in the malaria parasite prevalence in children aged 2-14 years (from 45% in 2004 to 15.3% in 2022).
• 63% reduction of all-cause mortality among children under five years old (attributed mainly to malaria interventions).
• 97% reduction in the rate of transmission of the parasite by the vectors.
• Elimination of two of the four main species of mosquitoes that carry malaria on Bioko Island: Anopheles funestus and Anopheles gambiae s.s.

The program continues to build national capacity by employing more than 350 Equatoguineans on a yearly basis who work to implement the interventions. Moreover, BIMEP has led to the development of frameworks that strengthen district health systems and decentralize public health interventions in the country. These outcomes led to improved institutional frameworks and infrastructure that enable the Government of EG to participate in the international medical science research community.

As examples, the first National Ethics Committee in Equatorial Guinea has been established and the Baney Hospital Reference Laboratory was created. In addition to its malaria work, the Lab is currently supporting all Sars-COV-2 activities in Equatorial Guinea.

The impact that BIMEP has had on improving the health and quality of life of the people in EG is remarkable. The commitment to fighting malaria remains steadfast and the program will continue working with partners to achieve even greater success in the future.

We invest in building human capacity focused on health and education. To that end, we have helped fund a program aimed at increasing the quantity and quality of nursing professionals available in-country. Since 2018, MEGPL has invested U.S. $1.5 million in a nurse training program in collaboration with the Foundation for Nursing Development, the EG Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and National University of Equatorial Guinea to improve the quality of service and prenatal and neonatal care in the public health sector. Graduates went on to work with prenatal and postnatal mothers and newborns across EG’s district health centers. In total, over 111 nurses have been trained through the program.

Since 2019, MEGPL has supported the National Program Against Tuberculosis of Equatorial Guinea to improve the technical capacity of public health facilities throughout the country and help them diagnose and treat multi-resistant strains of tuberculosis. To date, the program has spent over $400,000 on the production of therapeutic guidelines, training health personnel and equipping laboratories.

Since beginning operations in Equatorial Guinea, EG LNG has spent over U.S. $25 million to provide water wells and build and renovate schools across the country. These have significantly increased the ability of students from rural areas to receive an education.

In addition, MEGPL supports other projects that benefit the community, such as the Books for Bioko program. Since 2004, Marathon Oil employees worldwide have raised over U.S. $1.2 million for much-needed supplies for more than 8,300 students in nine Malabo schools. In 2022, MEGPL also funded Foundation Ana Costa, a local community-based organization that supports disadvantaged and vulnerable elderly people in Malabo. Our funding helped to set up a dedicated room to provide first aid assistance and procure a bus to transport beneficiaries from their homes to the organization’s social dining room.

Clear Vison for Equatoguinean Youth

We’re committed to helping Equatoguinean youth improve their academic and social opportunities. To help youth with eyesight issues get proper care and medical attention, MEGPL started the Ver Bien EG Project in 2017 to screen children for eyesight issues in private and public primary and secondary schools on Bioko Island. After its initial success, MEGPL expanded the program’s reach and impact nationally by establishing partnerships with organizations across the country.

In 2022, MEGPL, in collaboration with ONCIGE, Nueva Vision Optica and Doctor Cruz Clinics, ran a year-round, school-based program delivering vision services to children attending primary and secondary schools on Bioko Island and in Bata on the mainland.

The program provided early detection of visual impairment by diagnosing visual deficiencies through screening and clinical examination and treatment with corrective eyeglasses. To date, Ver Bien has screened over 15,000 children for vision issues, provided over 2,400 clinical eye examinations and donated approximately 1,800 prescription eyeglasses to youth.

Our company-wide Human Rights Policy includes information on our approach to security and human rights. In EG, we have well-established and effective policies that require those providing security to our personnel, facilities and operations to deliver those services in a manner that respects human rights.

We employ a proprietary guard service to help protect our onshore facilities and engage with the Navy of Equatorial Guinea to safeguard our offshore facilities. We have had no known security-related incidents resulting in a human rights violation in our operations since acquiring the EG asset. We continue to work with the Government of Equatorial Guinea and the U.S. Coast Guard to review the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code to enhance safety and security at the country’s ports while respecting human rights.