5 Bipkwele

Equatorial Guinea adopted the ekwele as its currency in 1975 after breaking from the CFA franc zone — a rare move for a sub-Saharan state, driven largely by the isolationist policies of Francisco Macías Nguema, whose regime had by then collapsed most of the country's formal economy. The bipkwele plural denomination came into use following a 1979 currency reform enacted after Macías Nguema was overthrown and executed by his own nephew, Teodoro Obiang, in August of that year. This 1980 issue is among the first coinage struck under the new government.