Gabon presents digital sovereignty strategy at Harvard's Africa Development Conference 2026
via Gabon Review2 min read
Gabon's Minister of Digital Economy, Mark Alexandre Doumba, presented the country's presidential vision for digital sovereignty at the Africa Development Conference 2026, held at the Harvard Kennedy School. The minister highlighted digital sovereignty as a strategic lever for national power and transformation. This presentation occurred during the Spring Meetings in Washington, where Gabon's digital transformation strategy was a central topic. The conference theme was "Africa and the World: Reclaiming Control of Its Destiny in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape." Doumba emphasized making digital sovereignty a core driver of competitiveness, influence, and power, aligning with President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's vision. This vision is supported by the third pillar of the National Development Plan, which focuses on structural transformation through digital technology, innovation, and modernization of public administration. Gabon aims to become an influential actor in a reconfiguring geopolitical landscape by increasing its presence in international decision-making spaces, actively participating in global norm definition, and enhancing its capacity to mobilize development financing. Internally, this strategy has led to concrete results, including simplified administrative procedures through digital public services, development of digital skills among youth, support for local entrepreneurs, and an improved economic environment to attract investments. The ministry views this H
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The Minister of Housing, Mays Mouissi, visited the Bellambra Residence construction site in Akanda on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to assess the progress of the work. This project, comprising 500 apartments, is the first phase of a 5,000-housing unit program under an agreement between the Gabonese state and the Addoha group. The initial buildings have reached the structural work stage, and the first keys are expected to be handed over before the end of 2026. The project, officially launched on May 6 in the presence of the Vice-President of the Government, is progressing according to schedule. Two buildings, containing 52 apartments and four commercial spaces, are already structurally complete, with a 70% reservation rate. Kampala Kaina, Addoha's General Manager in Gabon, announced the start of construction for nine additional buildings. The program targets civil servants, private sector employees, self-employed workers, and other eligible buyers for bank financing, offering two to three-bedroom apartments starting from 30 million CFA francs. To facilitate home ownership, mortgage loans may be granted for 15 years or more, subject to bank approval. The Ministry of Housing aims to enable eligible households to gradually replace rent payments with comparable mortgage installments. This initial deadline for key handovers will apply only to the first completed homes, not all 500 apartments in this phase. Mouissi's visit is part of monitoring the agreement signed on February 13, 2025, b
Must ReadA recent protocol signed between Gabon and the French mining group Eramet, following a ceremony at the Élysée, is being viewed with caution upon closer inspection. While initially perceived as a victory for Gabon, the agreement appears to offer Eramet considerable leeway. The protocol commits Gabon to providing electricity, whereas Eramet's commitments are primarily to study projects. None of the three proposed industrial projects are firm, with their implementation dependent on future investment decisions and subject to various conditions, including "formal final investment decision," "prior validation of technical, environmental, economic, and industrial conditions," and a "separate investment agreement." The flagship project, a 265,000-ton alloy plant announced for 2031, is explicitly conditional on securing energy and logistical conditions before any commitment. The agreement also grants Eramet autonomy in assessing project profitability, ensuring only "profitable industrial options" are pursued. This means that while the roadmap sets ambitions, the decision to realize them remains with Eramet's Parisian board at each stage. A critical aspect of the agreement is energy provision. The protocol acknowledges the fundamental importance of competitive energy access for industrial development in the manganese value chain, with Gabon agreeing to develop necessary energy solutions. Eramet and its subsidiary are exempt from investing in electricity production. Given the current st
Must ReadThe Campus Mbongui, an international summer school, will officially open on July 24 in Libreville, focusing on languages, indigenous knowledge, and ecology. Organized by the "Bantuphonie: endangered languages, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity" BLSB network, a UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs program established in 2018 at Omar Bongo University, in partnership with the ECCAS Commission, the event brings together eleven countries, forty young researchers, and twenty international experts. The initiative challenges conventional conservation strategies by asserting that local languages and the ecological knowledge they embody are crucial for preserving biodiversity. The scientific framework involves four universities: Omar Bongo in Gabon, Yaoundé I in Cameroon, Marien Ngouabi in Congo, and Lumière Lyon 2 in France. Professor Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda, director of the Language, Culture and Cognition laboratory, coordinates the international effort. From July 27 to August 8, participants will engage in academic sessions and field immersions across the Congo Basin, exploring biocultural approaches, the interface between human and life sciences, and traditional ecological practices with local communities. Organizers emphasize that indigenous knowledge systems are dynamic and holistic, and ignoring them means losing a key to understanding ecosystems and ensuring sustainable biodiversity preservation. This approach also contributes to scientific sovereignty for sub-regional states as they neg