Career
In 2014, his club president, Redeno Apap, asked if he would apply for a Maltese passport, which was granted in March 2015. Later that month, national coach Pietro Ghedin was searching for a new striker after the suspension of Michael Mifsud. Effiong made his senior international debut for Malta on 25 March, replacing Jean Paul Farrugia in the 60th minute of a 0–2 friendly defeat against Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi.
On 8 June, he came on for Andrew Cohen in the 60th minute of a home friendly against Lithuania, and 20 minutes later scored his first international goal to seal a 2–0 victory.