Equatorial Guinea has officially prohibited foreigners from engaging in petty and small-scale retail trading, reserving these businesses exclusively for its citizens.
The ban covers neighborhood shops, street vending, hardware stores, hairdressing salons, grocery stores, small restaurants, and other local retail businesses. According to the government, the policy is intended to protect Equatoguinean small traders and reduce competition from foreigners in the informal sector.
Foreigners who violate the directive risk fines, shop closures, and deportation, with enforcement already underway in Malabo and Bata.
However, foreigners can still invest in wholesale trade, import-export, large supermarkets, construction, the oil industry, and other service sectors, provided they meet the required investment and licensing conditions.
Gabon and Tanzania have also recently implemented similar, highly publicized bans on non-citizens operating small businesses and informal street trades to protect local entrepreneurs.
