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THE DISPUTE BETWEEN GABON AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN GROUP PARAMOUNT ! LE CONTENTIEUX ENTRE LE GABON ET LE GROUPE SUD AFRICAIN PARAMOUNT !

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English version  A tense financial dispute has just resurfaced. It is, in fact, a debt inherited from Paramount, now being pursued by another South African fund. The dispute dates back to a 2014 contract between Gabon and Paramount Group (defense/aerospace) for the maintenance and support of military equipment, continuing an older relationship (the purchase of Mirage F1AZ jets in 2006-2007). This is therefore a matter that goes back to Ali Bongo’s time, both as Defense Minister and as President. In 2006-2007, Gabon purchased Mirage F1AZ fighter jets from Paramount Group and its subsidiary/partner Aerosud, aircraft drawn from the surplus of the former South African Air Force fleet (which had retired them from service in 1997 and put them up for sale via Armscor in 2003). Gabon received two aircraft in August 2006, then two more in November 2007 (some sources mention up to six aircraft in total). Paramount did not simply sell the aircraft: the group also supported Gabon in their acqu...
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WHAT DOES HISTORY TEACH US ABOUT THE HEADS OF STATE WHO HAVE BET ON POPULISM ? QUE NOUS APPREND L’HISTOIRE À PROPOS DES CHEFS D’ÉTAT AYANT MISÉ SUR LE POPULISME ?

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English version  Populism as a mode of governance follows fairly recurrent trajectories, observable in Perón, Chávez, Erdoğan, Orbán, and other historical cases: • Phase 1: Rupture and legitimacy . A leader presents himself as the embodiment of the people against a corrupt elite or a discredited dynasty. This initial rupture generates real, often sincere popular support. • Phase 2: Personalization of power . Institutions (the judiciary, media, parliament) are progressively re-centered around the leader, presented as the sole guarantor of stability. • Phase 3: Erosion of checks and balances . Locked-down elections, marginalized opposition, tighter control over civic space (press, social media). • Phase 4: Bifurcation . The regime either institutionalizes into a lasting authoritarianism (Putin, Erdoğan), or collapses under its own economic weight or through a new uprising/coup (the fate of many Latin American populist regimes). A key point: history shows that the init...
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EDDY MINANG OR THE WATERED SPRINKLER! EDDY MINANG OU L’ARROSEUR ARROSÉ !

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ALBERT ONDO OSSA BY JEUNE AFRIQUE! ALBERT ONDO OSSA PAR JEUNE AFRIQUE !

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ALBERT ONDO OSSA ON JEUNE AFRIQUE ! ALBERT ONDO OSSA SUR JEUNE AFRIQUE !

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THE LAURENCE NDONG TEAM TAKES CONTROL OF GABONESE DIGITAL ! LA TEAM LAURENCE NDONG PREND LE CONTRÔLE DU NUMÉRIQUE GABONAIS!

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English version  SING SA (Société d’Incubation Numérique du Gabon / Gabon Digital Incubation Company) is a Gabonese public company created about ten years ago as part of the eGabon project, financed by a World Bank loan taken out by the Gabonese state. Its activities really got underway in 2018 under the leadership of Yannick Ebibie Nze, a US-trained computer scientist who had served as its head since its creation. The entity’s mission was to structure the national digital ecosystem and support the country’s digital transformation. The initial project called for three incubators (Estuaire, Haut-Ogooué, Ogooué-Maritime), but only the Estuaire structure was ultimately established. Its operations rested on four main pillars: • Pivot 4.0: startup incubation and acceleration • Innovation strategy consulting • Digital Factory: digital engineering • SING Capital: fundraising and financing support According to figures the company claims, which can only be verified by the co...
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