Ciudad de la Paz

Ciudad de la Paz, also known as La Paz, is the new capital city of Equatorial Guinea. It replaced Malabo as the capital on January 2, 2026. Before that, the city was called Djibloho or Oyala.

The city was planned carefully. Its location was chosen because it is easier to reach and has a milder climate than the old capital. It is also far from the coast, which helps keep it safe.

Ciudad de la Paz was designed by a Portuguese team of architects and urban planners. The city is expected to be home to about 200,000 people. It will have a new Parliament building, several homes for the president, and cover a large area of land.

The idea to build this new capital came from President Teodoro Obiang. Some people in the government opposed the plan, but work on the city began in early 2017.

Geography

La Paz is found in the middle of Río Muni, the mainland part of Equatorial Guinea. It sits between the cities of Bata and Mongomo, just 20 km away from the airport of Mengomeyén. The city's electricity mainly comes from the 120 MW Djibloho Dam in the Djibloho Evinayong area.

Ciudad de la Paz has a warm tropical climate. It is close to both a tropical monsoon climate and a tropical savannah climate. Even though it isn’t a tropical rainforest climate, the area still has lots of rain—about 2,142 mm each year. Rain falls for most of the year, from September through June, with a short, slightly cooler dry time in July and August. December and January are a bit drier but still wet. Temperatures stay warm all year, though they are a little cooler than you might think for a place near the equator.

Planning and construction

In the middle of the undeveloped rain forest, the government planned to build a new city to be the future seat of government. It would be the headquarters of the president, government, administration, police, and military leadership, replacing the then capital Malabo. The city was designed to house between 160,000 and 200,000 people in an area of 81.5 km².

A golf course, a university, a luxury hotel, and a six-lane highway were finished in 2013. Other planned buildings include government buildings, a financial district, and residential areas. Three bridges and highways have been completed or are still being built. A connection between the city and the new airport in Mengomeyen was constructed.

Funding for construction came from AICEP Portugal Global. The plans were created by a Portuguese architectural office. The construction work received support from China, Poland, Brazil, and North Korea. Construction faced delays, such as reports that President Obiang asked to move a building because he did not like how it looked. Many specialized parts were imported, but the city’s basic construction used materials from local sources. This was made possible by starting local quarrying operations, which provided stone and other materials needed for building.

The city was officially declared the country's capital on 2 January 2026, with the president setting a one-year deadline to move public services there.

Design

The city was designed by a Portuguese company called FAT – Future Architecture Thinking. Originally, plans expected around 65,000 people to live there, but now estimates suggest the city could grow to hold between 160,000 and 200,000 people. The city covers a large area of 8,150 hectares, which is about 81.5 km² or 20,100 acres.

Progress

In 2021, a video showed parts of the new city of Ciudad de la Paz that were still being built. It included a partly built overpass and a six-story tower for the ministry of infrastructure, among other structures.

By 2022, some important buildings like two glass towers, a university campus, several administrative buildings, and a large hotel were nearly finished. This hotel can hold up to 1,200 people for meetings and has a golf course and a wellness center. On January 2, 2026, the capital of Equatorial Guinea was officially moved from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz.

Participating companies

Many different companies helped build the city of Ciudad de la Paz. Some of these companies worked on roads and highways, like CSCEC, Vinci SA, and Egis Route. Others worked on bridges, such as Bouygues, Besix, and Vinci SA. There were also companies that built important buildings, including universities, a regional parliament building, a presidential palace, and ministry buildings.