"They Built an Island Paradise, Then Got Expelled!" — The Forgotten Story of the Igbo People of Bioko

Abdulhameed Sherif · Africa · Nov 13, 2026

They were the engine of Equatorial Guinea's colonial economy, recruited by the thousands to work the cocoa plantations of Fernando Po, now known as Bioko.

The Igbo presence on Bioko, formerly Fernando Po, is a direct result of colonial economic demand and, later, the ravages of war. The migration began in the early 20th century when Spanish colonial plantations, booming with cocoa and coffee production, required a massive labor force. Recruiters turned to southeastern Nigeria, bringing in unprecedented numbers of contract workers, mostly Igbo and Ibibio people, from the 1920s through the 1960s. Many of these migrants traced their ancestry to Arochukwu in present-day Abia State, Nigeria.

The community's growth was accelerated by the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970). At the end of the war, an estimated 70,000 Igbos sought refuge on Fernando Po, and many chose to stay, building new lives and establishing Igbo-speaking neighborhoods on the island. They became pivotal contributors to the local economy as labourers and skilled traders.

However, the Igbo experience in Equatorial Guinea is also marked by a dark chapter of persecution. Under the country's first president, Francisco Macías Nguema (1968–1979), the Igbo faced systemic maltreatment. Macías, who came to power on a platform exploiting the divide between "natives" and "non-natives," inherited a colonial structure that had already categorized the Igbo as outsiders. His regime's brutality eventually led to the mass expulsion of the Igbo from Equatorial Guinea, a campaign that lasted until his overthrow in 1979.

Despite these historical traumas, the Igbo community has demonstrated remarkable resilience. They are officially recognized as the third-largest ethnic group in Equatorial Guinea, after the Fang and Bubi, with their population concentrated on Bioko Island. Population estimates vary widely across sources, ranging from 33,500 to 65,000, reflecting the challenges of accurate demographic accounting in the region.

What truly sets the Bioko Igbo apart is their unwavering commitment to their cultural heritage. In a country where Spanish is the official language, Igbo remains a recognized community language. Many in the community speak a multilingual blend of Igbo, Pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, and Spanish. They have built Igbo-speaking neighborhoods and even named their streets after home, a poignant act of place-making in a diaspora forged by displacement. The community is predominantly Christian, with a significant majority adhering to Protestantism, while also preserving elements of traditional beliefs.

Today, the Igbo of Bioko stand as a testament to a diaspora shaped by economic necessity and conflict, yet defined by an enduring cultural resilience. Theirs is a story of a community that has contributed to the economic and social fabric of Equatorial Guinea while steadfastly holding onto its roots—a living reminder that identity is not always determined by borders, but by the language you speak, the names you give your streets, and the stories you refuse to forget.