The Prime Minister presented his roadmap to the transitional deputies in the National Assembly on Thursday, December 7, 2023.
During the official presentation of his roadmap, Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima recalled that the objective of this roadmap is to “restore stability, transparency and accountability in the management of public affairs after a period of rough and erratic governance.“. In his timetable, the Prime Minister mentioned all economic sectors, society, politics and many others. For example regarding the political point, Raymond Ndong Sima indicated that the “roadmap timeline“. This is counting on a national dialogue in April 2024, followed by the adoption of a new Constitution by referendum at the end of 2024. He subsequently detailed the next steps for the country’s return to constitutional order after the coup. Status as of August 2023.
«At the beginning of October, I launched a call for contributions intended to invite all Gabonese (…) with a view to taking stock of everyone’s diagnoses and proposed solutions to the country’s problems“, said Ndong Sima. Thanks to the participatory site “Pope» set up by the government, more than 13,000 citizen contributions were collected. They will be grouped by theme by the end of January 2024 to identify the convergences and divergences which will constitute the documentary background for the national dialogue planned for April 2024.
At the end of these discussions, a technical commission will draft a new constitution which will be submitted to a referendum at the end of 2024. This will be followed by the adoption of new electoral laws and the administrative redistribution of the country, before the holding of local elections. , legislative and presidential. “Some would like [ce processus soit] reduced to twelve months. Others believe that such a deadline would be too short“, conceded Ndong Sima. “The most shared average duration is around twenty-four months.” The agenda aims in particular to avoid economic and financial sanctions against Gabon.
Economic and financial results
Raymond Ndong Sima also defended the economic and financial results of his team. He notably cited “relaunching discussions with the World Bank Group, the IMF» and the lifting of “the measure of suspension of disbursements» from the ADB.
He also highlighted the “first shipments of Bélinga iron whose exploitation on an industrial scale could significantly change the economic outlook».
Sectoral priorities: justice, education, public service
In addition to the political timeline unveiled at the end of September, the Prime Minister took stock, mid-term, of the progress of the transitional government in other key areas. “The road map notably listed the functioning of justice, the fight against corruption, budgetary transparency, diversification of the economy, protection of the environment, civic education and training of civil servants.“, he recalled.
Essentially, we will retain a few sectors and areas that were the subject of projections:
Justice and fight against corruption : «It is to be hoped that the conclusions of this symposium will contribute to a renewal of the habits and practices of our justice“, declared Mr. Ndong Sima about the symposium organized in October with magistrates to discuss the functioning of justice and corruption.
Budget transparency : The government intends to strengthen budgetary transparency, revenue collection and expenditure programming “to increase visibility», indicated the Prime Minister.
Diversification of the economy : Mr. Ndong Sima welcomed the resumption of dialogue with international donors and the first results such as the large-scale exploitation of Bélinga iron.
Environmental Protection : «Gabon will continue to attach great importance to environmental problems», affirmed the leader of the transitional government.
Training of civil servants : A “upgrade» is planned, particularly on new technologies, to strengthen the skills of public officials.
Communication and digital : Raymond Ndong Sima also detailed the government’s ambitions in the communication and digital sector. He first listed 5 priority issues: the development of citizens, the improvement of the media, the digital transformation of the economy, the sovereignty of strategic data and the development of Gabonese digital technology to international standards. Several major projects were then announced:
- Revision of the communication code and liquidation of the Africa No. 1 file
- Renovation of provincial radios and installation of community radios
- Training of journalists
- Construction d’un data center national
- Landing of the 2Africa submarine cable in Gabon
- Launch of the digitalization of administration
- Unique identifier for citizens and connection of the administration to fiber
These ambitious projects must enable a “digital transformation of the Gabonese economy» and respond to “sovereignty issues» on the country’s strategic data, insisted Raymond Ndong Sima to parliamentarians.
Finally, the government will focus on priority projects in agriculture, health, energy, education and transport to meet the expectations of the Gabonese, with an effort on the performance of the public service.
Education and formation : Professional training meetings are planned, as well as a dialogue with companies for their increased involvement. In higher education, the government supervisor promised the completion of work in progress to offer 15,000 additional places, as well as a reorganization for greater productivity.
Health : Legal reform will continue, as will the strengthening of prevention. “The squirms (…) of continue to progress in the country’s vaccination coverage“, said Ndong Sima. The health card will also be updated and the training of health personnel strengthened.
Energy and water : Water and electricity projects will continue with the aim of expanding access to these essential services across the country.
“Work together”
«We have no choice but to work together, debating freely, to turn our country around in the weeks and months to come. launched Ndong Sima, calling for a “trust feeling» with the population.
«Even if I don’t come to ask for a vote of confidence (…), I still hope to get your support. Not because we have the same opinion on everything, but because first and foremost, we still have, I hope, the perspective of a common conscience (…). We have no choice but to work together, debating freely, to turn our country around», concluded Raymond Ndong Sima in front of the transition deputies. Learn more on Gabon Review.
