REPUBLICA DE GUINEA ECUATORIAL BANCO POPULAR MALABO 7 DE JULIO DE 1975 CINCUENTA EKUELE
(Translation: Republic of Equatorial Guinea People's Bank Malabo, 7th July, 1975 Fifty Ekuele)
Equatorial Guinea adopted the ekuele in 1975 as part of its break from the CFA franc zone — a politically charged decision under Francisco Macías Nguema, whose increasingly erratic regime was simultaneously dismantling the country's institutions. The Banco Popular was the state bank of a government that would, within two years, be executing civil servants and driving most of the educated population into exile.
Thomas De La Rue handled the printing, as they did for much of Francophone and newly independent African currency of the period. The ekuele series had a short operational life before economic collapse rendered the denominations effectively meaningless.
Equatorial Guinea adopted the ekuele in 1975 as part of its break from the CFA franc zone — a politically charged decision under Francisco Macías Nguema, whose increasingly erratic regime was simultaneously dismantling the country's institutions. The Banco Popular was the state bank of a government that would, within two years, be executing civil servants and driving most of the educated population into exile.
Thomas De La Rue handled the printing, as they did for much of Francophone and newly independent African currency of the period. The ekuele series had a short operational life before economic collapse rendered the denominations effectively meaningless.