"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

English version On October 11, 2026, CBON announced a new government. In Gabon, this kind of cabinet reshuffle, which expanded the team from 30 to 33 members with 8 new entries and 5 departures, serves several strategic goals: 1. Adjusting performance and "sanctioning" Reshuffles allow the head of state to assess how effective the team has been. By removing some ministers and bringing in new profiles, the executive seeks to breathe new life into government action and to let go of members whose results fell short of expectations. 2. Adapting to socio-economic emergencies Changes to the names or structure of certain ministries reflect current priorities. In the newly announced government, for example, there is a clear emphasis on social and economic issues, with portfolios specifically dedicated to fighting the high cost of living, urban development, and access to water and energy. The aim is to show the population that the government is listening and adapting to its everyday c...

English version  Some sentences reveal a whole vision of a country in just a few words. This one, reported by L'Union on Friday, October 9, 2026, comes from Michel Régis Onanga Ndiaye, President of the National Assembly: “We must build our country in light of the Head of State's pragmatism. Let us leave theory to the universities.” The timing only adds to the irony. This week, as every early October, the whole world is looking to Stockholm and Oslo, where researchers, economists and writers are being honored for work that, more often than not, began as… theory. We can try a charitable reading. Perhaps the President of the Assembly simply meant that it is time to act rather than debate endlessly, and that grand speeches are no substitute for roads, schools and hospitals. Many Gabonese share that call to action. But words carry meaning, especially from the head of an institution whose very mission is to reflect, deliberate and write the law. Setting “pragmatism” against “the theo...

English version  Gabon pumps around 220,000 barrels of crude oil a day, yet a recent fuel shortage forced the Ministry of Petroleum to call an emergency meeting with fuel marketers and transporters while new tankers were awaited. Meanwhile, an article attributed to Jean Frédéric Ndong Ondo has been circulating, claiming that the Lomé offshore point belongs to United Petro Group, a Singaporean trader, and that the Togolese state plays no role in supplying Gabon. Even if that is true, one question stands out: why does an oil-producing country like Gabon depend on a trader based in Singapore, a country with no oil of its own, to fill its tanks? Crude oil can't go straight into an engine; it has to be refined first. Yet Gabon has only one refinery, SOGARA, which has operated in Port-Gentil since 1967. Its nameplate capacity is around 24,000 barrels a day, roughly one tenth of the country's crude output. In practice, it covers only about 55% of domestic fuel demand. Its ageing equip...