Government
will strictly enforce labor laws that restrict number of foreign employees in a
company
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Second
Vice President, in charge of National Defense and State Security, announced that he would restrict the
distribution of work visas to foreigners seeking jobs that could be performed
by an Equatoguinean citizen. The announcement was made September 17 on state
television.
“We want to
encourage and support national employment. Many countries have work visa
restrictions in order to ensure that foreign workers don’t take needed jobs
from citizens,” said Nguema Obiang Mangue.
The
Second Vice President said that many Equatoguineans are having difficulty
finding work, while expatriates are finding jobs more easily. He would enforce
labor laws, he said, which state that foreign employees cannot exceed 10
percent of a company’s staff. Anyone who violated these laws would be punished.
Equatorial
Guinea’s booming economy has attracted a significant number of migrants from
neighboring countries seeking employment. The government policy will not affect
jobs for which there are no qualified Equatoguineans, but companies will be
encouraged to train local workers for skills that are now lacking in the
workforce.
By enforcing the
nation’s labor laws, the Second Vice President said, the government will give nationals
a greater opportunity to find employment. This initiative is a continuation of
the government’s efforts to improve Equatoguineans’ living conditions, as seen in
the zinc roof campaign and additional rural sustainable-development
programs.
