Published on 10/25/2023 at 3:50 p.m. by Linda Manga Minlo”o
Because of the coup d’état or “liberation coup” of August 30, the World Bank had “paused” its disbursements for the benefit of Gabon, whose portfolio amounts to approximately 154 billion FCFA. More than a month later, the Breton Wood institution sent a mission to Libreville to assess the situation and consider “if possible” the resumption of disbursements for the benefit of Gabon.
On Monday, part of the World Bank mission met with the office of the Gabon Business Federation (FEG). The delegation led by the Economist resident in Gabon, Sonia Barbara Ondo Ndong, was tasked with understanding the business climate in the country since the military came to power. Henri Claude Oyima and his men from the FEG shared the current good atmosphere between businessmen and those in power who, according to Mr. Oyima, reserved the first of his public meetings for business leaders.
« We talked about business life in Gabon, our perception of the country’s economic situation, the new situation, the new dimension and the new organization that we wish to give today with the new authorities. », summarized the president of the FEG at the end of this meeting. Henri Claude Oyima recalled that during the very first meeting on August 31, 2023 between the president of the Transition, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguéma and the members of the FEG, the business leaders had indicated that “ businesses need to have visibility and readability ».
“We have been reassured by the new authorities in terms of certainty, which now allows us to plan our investments (…) we now have reasonable assurances which allow us to reassure ourselves and invest with peace of mind », clearly said Henri Claude Oyima. The boss of the FEG also claims to have made objections to the World Bank mission regarding its procedures: “ if we take the same recipes to get a new result, we are wrong ». « It is time to adopt new paradigms to restructure our economy and better relaunch the economic development long awaited by the populations “, he concluded.
The World Bank portfolio in Gabon currently has 5 active projects representing a total commitment of $250.50 million (approximately 154 billion FCFA) in different development sectors including digital development, energy and water, vocational training. , statistics as well as health. According to a well-informed source, the World Bank had already suspended its disbursements to Gabon between March and April 2023. Libreville had no longer honored its commitments to the Bank.
Source: Gabon Actu
