🇬🇦GabonCentral Africa
JFD and Gabonese Minister meet French Minister in Paris for Margaret Awards 2026 discussions
via Gabon Review2 min read
Representatives from JFD Join Forces & Dare and Gabon's Minister of State for National Education, Camélia Ntoutoume-Leclercq, met with French Minister Aurore Bergé in Paris on April 14, 2026. The strategic meeting, held alongside the Margaret Awards 2026, focused on women's leadership in technology and advocated for increased support for European artificial intelligence startups. The event, hosted at the French Ministry of Equality, included institutional and economic stakeholders promoting diversity and technological innovation, as well as a "Breakfast for Equality" where JFD founder and CEO Delphine Remy-Boutang presented the three Margaret Awards 2026 laureates. The 2026 awards, themed "United by Tech," recognized three prominent women in AI: Roxane Laigle, co-founder of Lemrock AI, in the entrepreneur category; Juliette Mattioli, VP AI Fellow at Thales, as an intrapreneur; and Koralie Theresine, junior laureate, for her DigiTwin project. Organizers emphasized the strategic importance of diversity in technology, with Delphine Remy-Boutang stating it is an imperative for competitiveness, growth, and sovereignty. The meeting also called on the European private sector to increase innovative purchases from AI startups to 9% within two years. The three laureates will join the JFD acceleration program, which is endowed with one million euros. Camélia Ntoutoume-Leclercq's participation highlights Gabon's commitment to international digital and gender equality initiatives, strengt
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On May 7, 2026, Gabon's Minister of Sustainable Tourism and Handicrafts, Professor Marcelle Ibinga épse Itsitsa, held diplomatic meetings with the ambassadors of Spain and South Africa to Gabon. The discussions focused on strengthening tourism cooperation, promoting ecotourism, attracting foreign investment, and improving air connectivity. These efforts are part of Gabon's strategy to establish itself as a leading sustainable tourism destination. During her meeting with Rafael Chaves Beardo, the Spanish Ambassador, Minister Itsitsa highlighted Gabon's natural and cultural assets, seeking to encourage Spanish entrepreneurs and investors in the tourism sector. Discussions also covered diversifying tourism offerings and mechanisms to facilitate foreign investment in sustainable tourism infrastructure and services. With Ncumisa Notutela-Mthabela, the South African Ambassador, talks broadened to include ecotourism, biodiversity, and national parks. Ambassador Notutela-Mthabela noted the natural resource similarities between the two countries, stating that both Gabon and South Africa possess significant national parks, biodiversity, and natural resources. Both parties expressed their intention to deepen tourism cooperation to attract more international investors and visitors, also addressing air connectivity as a crucial factor for developing tourism and economic flows. These diplomatic engagements underscore the Gabonese government's ambition to position Gabon as a key ecotourism
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