Libreville poised to become Central Africa's sub-regional hub for UN-Habitat
via Gabon Review5 min read
Libreville, Gabon, is set to host a sub-regional office for UN-Habitat, aiming to become a central hub for sustainable urbanization in Central Africa. This development follows a meeting on July 12 between Gabon's Vice-President of the Government, Hermann Immongault, and Oumar Sylla, UN-Habitat's Regional Director for Africa. The discussion, which also included the Minister of Housing and Accommodation, Mays Mouissi, focused on establishing the sub-regional office in the Gabonese capital. This initiative is expected to enhance Gabon's diplomatic influence and its position as a regional center for multilateral cooperation. Gabonese authorities view Libreville's selection as strategic, citing the country's institutional stability, social cohesion, and ongoing political transition as factors that supported its candidacy. The new office will provide technical and institutional support to Gabon in urban planning, territorial development, climate change mitigation, and the improvement of informal settlements. Oumar Sylla emphasized UN-Habitat's commitment to supporting Gabon's sustainable development goals, leveraging its expertise from over 35 African countries. This cooperation is particularly significant given Gabon's housing deficit, estimated at nearly 200,000 decent homes, and aligns with the government's National Plan for Growth and Development PNCD. The establishment of this sub-regional office is anticipated to accelerate housing programs and urban growth, solidifying Libre
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Gabon's Minister of Digital Economy, Mark-Alexandre Doumba, and TikTok regional officials met in Geneva to discuss digital platform governance. This meeting follows the suspension of social media in Gabon in February 2026. TikTok reported removing 23,504 sensitive content items in the first quarter of 2026, including 13,930 related to the safety and well-being of minors and 10,784 concerning regulated goods, services, and activities. The platform also stated that 17,225 items of sexualized content and 12,883 related to sexual or physical abuse of minors were removed. TikTok claims 99.8% of infringing content was removed before user reports, and 92.9% before being viewed. Additionally, 97.2% of removals occurred within 48 hours, and 4,352 accounts were permanently suspended. Both parties agreed to continue their close collaboration for 12 months to ensure TikTok's compliance with new Gabonese legal provisions. The discussions also addressed mental health protection for youth, disinformation, cyberbullying, and hate speech.
Must ReadPresident Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema spent a night in Minvoul, a first for a sitting president since independence, as he began the second day of his tour in Woleu-Ntem on July 10, 2026. His visit focused on inspecting road, health, and educational construction sites and launching new projects, including the Oyem agricultural complex. The President's tour aimed to accelerate provincial development, starting with the strategic road connecting Gabon to Cameroon, which is vital for sub-regional integration and trade. In Minvoul, he inspected the future hospital and a service station. In Oyem, the President officially launched an agricultural complex project and the training of 30 young Gabonese, with a goal to train 240 in agricultural professions to boost employment and food sovereignty. He also inspected the 17-kilometer, 2x2 lane Oyem road project and the future municipal market of Gou茅ma. The tour continued with a decision to rehabilitate the state-owned Mvett Palace hotel, with work scheduled to begin by the end of July. He also visited an agro-fishery operation and the Manfred Mendame Ndong complex training center for pre-primary and primary teachers, before symbolically handing over keys to housing for village chiefs. The day concluded at the future Nkum Yengu茂 sports complex site and the modern high school, which features a boarding school, scientific laboratories, and a computer room. These initiatives underscore President Nguema's commitment to making infrastructure,
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development MAEDR in Gabon held a strategic retreat in Libreville on July 11 and 12, 2026, led by Minister Pac么me Kossy. The retreat aimed to prepare for the "acceleration phase of reforms" in line with the directives of President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. Key discussions included validating the major orientations of the Agri-Food Systems Transformation Plan PTSA 2026-2030, adopting a Performance Pact, and establishing measurable commitments for each manager. The two-day session involved ministerial cabinet members, general secretaries, general inspectors, general directors, provincial directors, and heads of supervised establishments. They focused on governance, modernization of plant and animal production, financing, investments, and institutional reforms. The ministry highlighted achievements from the first hundred days, such as the operationalization of the Emergency Plan for the Poultry Sector POUFA, mobilization of private investments, support for national producers, and the development of the PTSA 2026-2030. The retreat is expected to lead to internal accountability tools, including a MAEDR management performance pact, measurable commitments for each manager, and a dashboard for rigorous results monitoring. The ministry aims to build an administration focused on performance, accountability, and results to make agriculture a driver of wealth creation and sustainable employment, despite the significant annual food impo