From left to right: Cristine Betters, CEO and president at MCD; Don Domingo Mba Esono, minister delegate of Hydrocarbons and Mining Development; Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba, minister of Health, Social Welfare and Health Infrastructures; Frederic Phipps, president of ConocoPhillips Equatorial Guinea; and Haytham El-Maayergi, executive vice president of the Global Trade Bank, Afreximbank.

ConocoPhillips has been awarded the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project of the Year at African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies. This award recognizes ConocoPhillips’ long-standing support for MCD Global Health’s Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project (BIMEP), a transformative, public health initiative that has delivered measurable, lasting impact in Equatorial Guinea.

MCD’s CEO and President, Cristine Betters, was in Cape Town to accept the award, along with the Equatorial Guinea Minister Delegate of Hydrocarbons and Mining Development, Don Domingo Mba Esono; the Equatorial Guinea Minister of Health, Social Welfare, and Health Infrastructures, Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba; and the President of ConocoPhillips Equatorial Guinea, Frederic Phipps.

“This award is a testament to what can be achieved when the private sector, government, and committed organizations, like MCD, join forces for a common goal. For 22 years, we’ve witnessed how partnership turns challenges into lasting change,” said Betters. “On behalf of all our BIMEP team members, past and present, I extend heartfelt thanks to our partners for the trust, vision, and shared commitment that made this possible.”

According to the African Energy Chamber, the success of the BIMEP underscores the vital role the energy sector can play in driving socioeconomic development beyond resource extraction. With deep local footprints, long-term investment horizons, and technical capacity, energy companies are uniquely positioned to implement high-impact CSR initiatives that align with national development goals.

“This award honors not only a commitment to CSR, but a deep, sustained investment in the health and well-being of communities,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “ConocoPhillips’ support for BIMEP proves that energy companies can be powerful partners in advancing public health and long-term development on the continent.”