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UNFORTUNATELY, GABON IS BOGGED DOWN IN THE PATRIMONIAL STATE! MALHEUREUSEMENT, LE GABON S’ENLISE DANS L’ETAT PATRIMONIAL!

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English version  Dear readers, what is a patrimonial state? The concept comes from Max Weber: in a patrimonial state, power is not exercised according to impersonal rules and a bureaucracy separate from the ruler; it functions as the private patrimony of the sovereign. Africanist political scientists have developed the notion of neopatrimonialism to describe modern states that retain the appearance of rational-legal institutions (constitution, administration, elections) but where, in practice: • the boundary between public assets and the assets of the head of state (or his clan) is blurred; • public resources (especially oil or mineral rents) serve to maintain patronage networks rather than to fund universal public policies; • appointments and careers depend on personal loyalty more than on merit or written rules; • power is often transmitted dynastically or through co-optation within an inner circle. The system built by Omar Bongo (1967–2009) and then extended unde...
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NDENDÉ-DOUSSALA ROAD, WHEN DELAYS AND UNPAID BILLS MEET ! ROUTE NDENDÉ-DOUSSALA, QUAND LES RETARDS ET LES IMPAYÉS SE REJOIGNENT!

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English version  Dear readers, at 55% completion, the Ndendé-Doussala road project in southern Gabon is going through a new period of turbulence. According to information revealed on September 11, 2026 by the daily newspaper L'Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), one of the project's main lenders, reportedly suspended its disbursements as of March 1st. The reason: roughly 7 billion CFA francs in financial commitments left unmet by the Gabonese State. Stretching 46 km, the Ndendé-Doussala road links the town of Ndendé to the Doussala border post, on the border with Congo-Brazzaville. The project is part of a broader regional ambition: the construction of a 225 km trans-African route connecting Gabon to Dolisie, an initiative led since 2013 by the CEEAC (Economic Community of Central African States). Beyond the road itself, the program includes related infrastructure: schools, clinics, markets; and is expected to generate more than 500 jobs. But the timeline isn't hold...
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REGARDING THE STOLEN 1700 BILLIONS ! À PROPOS DES 1700 MILLIARDS DÉTOURNÉS!

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English version  A recent report by Gabon's Court of Auditors reportedly brought to light, as part of the audits launched by the government post-2023, major systemic embezzlement concerning the management of public finances. It reportedly involves 1,700 billion CFA francs that appear to have vanished. The Court reportedly identified a massive volume of false debts claimed against the State by various companies. The audits reportedly made it possible to identify and reject hundreds of billions of CFA francs in claims deemed fictitious, unsupported by valid accounting documents, or linked to public contracts that were never actually carried out. The investigations document endemic corruption, characterized by extreme overbilling on infrastructure projects and the diversion of State revenues. The reports point to the porousness between public funds (particularly oil and mining revenues) and the private accounts of senior officials and their relatives. Audits of the State payroll revea...
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