Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | GABONSINGAPORE This land is not your land 30th June 2012 An agribusiness company’s projects across the country are facing opposition from local people and civil society groups Singapore’s Olam is riding a new wave of opposition to its industrial agriculture and fertiliser projects. Criticism of state-backed projects from inside the governing Parti Démocr...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | GABONCHINA Bélinga back on the table 30th June 2012 The Gabonese government reconfirmed in early June that it is open to discussions with all interested parties on the development of the Bélinga iron ore mine that was initially awa...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 4 | GABONCHINAAUSTRALIA China loses Bélinga 10th February 2012 After four years of tough renegotiations, China’s deal of the century is finally cancelled Australia's BHP Billiton has won the rights to the US$5 billion Bélinga iron ore project from China Machinery Engineering Corporation. BHP and the Gabonese Mining Ministry agreed a...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 4 | GABONCHINAFORESTRY Illegal loggers taken to task 10th February 2012 Gabon’s government is scrutinising the activities of Chinese logging companies which have failed to respect international best practice. In an unprecedented move, the Gabonese Mini...
Vol 52 No 6 | GABON Au revoir, la République 18th March 2011 On 27 February, Sammy Kum Buo, Africa Director in the United Nations Secretary General’s office, helped negotiate the dissolution of Andre Mba Obame’s short-lived republic, whi...
Vol 52 No 4 | GABON Obame: no, he can’t 18th February 2011 An oppositionist enjoys his moment in Libreville’s limelight but has no options once the curtain falls André Mba Obame is in no hurry to leave the small offices of the United Nations Development Programme in Libreville, where he has been holed up since 29 January, having declared hi...
Vol 52 No 4 | GABON Rearranging the cabinet 18th February 2011 Since coming to power in 2009, President Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba’s government has asked only for patience and delivered only promises. Holding a cabinet meeting in Tchibanga in Janua...
Vol 52 No 2 | GABON A family legacy 21st January 2011 Ali Ben Bongo, who took over the presidency from his father in August 2009, is struggling on both the political and economic fronts After more than a year in power, President Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba faces rising popular discontent. Spending more time abroad than at home hardly gives the impression of a man bent o...
Vol 52 No 1 | GABON Bongo feels the heat 7th January 2011 President Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba has maintained a dignified silence over the claim, contained in a United States State Department cable of June 2009 and leaked by WikiLeaks, that he...
Vol 4 (AAC) No 11 | GABONCHINA Timber company cuts corners 15th September 2011 Smuggling is one of the biggest open secrets in Gabon’s forestry sector. Ever since the government began trying to mandate more local value-added processing of logs, the raw timber...