Libreville: Gabon on Saturday, May 3, returned to constitutional rule following the successful inauguration of President General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema as the fourth leader of the Central African nation. He will be serving for a seven-year term.
According to Ghana News Agency, the inauguration of President Nguema, which took place at the Gabonese national Sports Stadium in Libreville, was attended by Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, in line with Ghana’s good neighbourliness policy. There were 15 other African leaders in attendance.
President Nguema, the immediate past military junta of Gabon, overthrew the longtime leader in August 2023, ending the more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family since the independence of the country in 1960. His inauguration follows his landslide victory in Gabon’s April 12 Presidential election, which he won with 90.35 percent of the valid votes cast.
In his investiture remarks, President Nguema promised to diversify Gabon’s largely oil-dependent economy and to reduce youth unemployment. He also pledged to serve, protect, and unite all Gabonese.
Other African leaders at the investiture included President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, President Felix Tshisekedi of The Democratic Republic of Congo, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, and President Adama Barrow of The Gambia.
President Mahama’s delegation included Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Foreign Minister, Mr. Prosper Douglas Bani, National Security Advisor, Dr. Callistus Mahama, Executive Secretary to the President, and Mr. Stan Xoese Dogbe, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations. President Mahama, with his delegation, has since returned home.