Latest news with #BriceOliguiNguema
Reuters
19 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
France's Eramet says it will work with Gabon despite manganese export ban
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - French miner Eramet ( opens new tab, the main shareholder in Gabon-based manganese mining firm Comilog, said it will aim to safeguard the 10,460 Gabonese jobs sustained by Comilog and Comilog railway transport unit Setrag, despite Gabon's announcement of an export ban on manganese starting in 2029. Eramet said it "takes note of the Gabonese government's intention to ban crude manganese exports from January 1st, 2029. This move is described as part of the country's stated ambition to strengthen its industrial base, initiated by H.E. President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and his Government". It said it acknowledged the government's move and, as the main co-shareholder in Comilog, will continue to work with the authorities "in a spirit of constructive partnership and mutual respect". In August 2023, Eramet temporarily halted manganese mining operation following a military coup that ended 56 years of rule by former President Ali Bongo. In April 2025, Gabon's Constitutional Court confirmed that coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema won the oil-rich Central African nation's presidential election. In October 2024, Eramet sharply cut 2024 production targets for its manganese mine in Gabon - the world's biggest - citing a downturn in the manganese market. Eramet's Comilog subsidiary processes some manganese, which is mainly used to produce carbon steel, locally in Gabon but mostly exports its mine production as ore.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Gabon to ban export of raw manganese from 2029
LIBREVILLE: Gabon will cease exporting manganese from 2029 as part of a plan to transform national industry, President Brice Oligui Nguema said in a government statement published on Saturday. Selling manganese, which can be used in the production of stainless steel and batteries, is one of Gabon's main sources of revenue, alongside wood and oil sales. Speaking on Friday to the council of ministers, Oligui ordered "the formal ban... from January 1, 2029, of the export of raw manganese, a strategic resource of which Gabon is the second largest producer in the world," the government statement said. The move in the country of 2.3 million people, one of the richest in Africa, aims at developing "an ambitious industrial policy based on the local transformation of primary materials, an increase in the national workforce's competence, the mastering of technological value chains and the consolidation of tax revenues", the statement added. Oligui, a putschist leader who overthrew the Bongo family dynasty before winning elections in April with almost 95 percent of the vote, said he was giving the sector three years to make the necessary investments for the change. That will also involve the setting up of a public-private investment fund to support the industry, the statement added. During the council of ministers meeting, it was also decided to ban the import of chicken meat from January 1, 2027. Despite the country's riches, a third of Gabonese live in poverty with one in 10 suffering from a lack of food.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
Power outage hits Gabonese capital
AI- Generated Image Gabon's capital Libreville was without electricity for several hours Wednesday following a "major technical incident", the national energy supplier said. The early morning power outage "resulted in the loss of all production facilities in the Libreville Interconnected Network (RIC)", the Gabonese Water and Energy Company (SEEG) said without giving further details. SEEG said it had managed to restore power to around half of its customers in the capital "by early morning", adding its teams were working to find and analyse the fault, which AFP reporters said also cut internet and mobile phone coverage. On Monday, the Gabonese presidency had announced the end of an interim administration of SEEG started in August on the back of a slew of supply cuts. As of Wednesday, "management of SEEG will be fully transferred" and it will return to its majority shareholder, the Gabonese Strategic Investment Fund (FGIS), the company stated. For several months last year, electricity supply was disrupted due to significant infrastructure problems. A rotating load shedding system was established leading to supply cuts in entire neighbourhoods for hours at a time, to enable power supply for other parts of the city. A protocol signed between the Gabonese government and Turkish firm Karpowership for supply of 70 megawatts via two floating power plants to cover greater Libreville saw the situation improve in recent months. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Roar into Style! Leopard Print Slim Fitting Dress! Undo Unleash Your Wild Side: Leopard Print Slim Dress! Undo Level Up Your Look: Men Tracksuit with Hoodie! Undo Get the Look: Rhinestone Juicy Sweatsuit - Shop Modefash! Undo Complete Your Look: Women's 3-Piece Sweatsuit - Undo Chic Comfort! Women's 3-Piece Sweatsuit. Undo Shop Exclusive Deals & Save Big! Undo Modefash: Ultimate Comfort - Men's Tracksuit with Hoodie! Undo Sparkle & Shine: Trending Rhinestone Juicy Sweatsuit! Undo Don't Miss Out! Exclusive Deals at Undo Revamping the network is a top priority for Gabon's leader Brice Oligui Nguema, a general who overthrew the Bongo dynasty and won 94.85 percent of the vote in April's election, 19 months on from his August 2023 coup. Earlier this month he vowed to provide "universal access" to drinking water and electricity.
Russia Today
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ousted African leader relocates to neighboring state
Ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo and his family have been released from house arrest and have been flown to Angola, African Union (AU) Chairperson Joao Lourenco announced on Friday. The move came days after Lourenço, who is Angola's president, visited the Central African country and held talks with its leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the August 2023 military coup that removed Bongo. 'Following the demonstrations made by the President …of Angola and the President-in-charge of the African Union, Joao Lourenco, together with President Brice Oligui Nguema, from Gabon, the Bongo family has been released and has just arrived in Luanda,' Angola's presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook. Bongo's wife, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, and son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, were transferred from prison to house arrest last week, after being detained for over a year on charges of embezzlement, corruption, and money laundering. They had been moved to the family residence in Gabon's capital, Libreville, where Bongo had been staying since his removal from office. Local media earlier reported that the former first lady and her son were under judicial supervision and would be required to cooperate with local authorities pending their trial. Sylvia Bongo was formally detained in October 2023, months after the coup. Her lawyer previously described her detention as 'arbitrary' and 'illegal.' The Bongo family has dominated Gabon's politics for over five decades. Ali Bongo came to power in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled since 1967. Ali Bongo's presidency ended in August 2023 when General Nguema led a military takeover following a disputed election. Authorities accused Sylvia Bongo of exploiting her husband's poor health – resulting from a 2018 stroke - and embezzling public funds with help from key officials. Both she and her son have denied the allegations. The former president staged a hunger strike last year in protest over alleged mistreatment of his family in custody. On April 30, the African Union adopted a resolution calling for the release of Bongo and his family, urging the former French colony's new leadership to uphold their rights and safety. The Gabonese government has not officially commented on what local outlet Gabon Review described as a discreet release and evacuation of the Bongo family to neighboring Angola. President Brice Oligui Nguema – who won last month's election with a sweeping 90.35% of the vote – is also a cousin of Ali Bongo.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gabon's ousted president Bongo flies to Angola with family, Angola says
LUANDA (Reuters) - Former Gabon president Ali Bongo, ousted in a coup in 2023, has flown to Angola with his wife and son, who were transferred from prison to house arrest last week, Angola's presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook. African Union officials called last month for the release of Bongo's wife, Sylvia Bongo, 62, and son Noureddin, 33, who were taken into custody shortly after the August 2023 coup and accused of crimes including embezzlement and money laundering. Ali Bongo himself, who is 66, was initially placed under house arrest after the coup though officials later said he was free to move as he wished. His supporters said this was untrue but he is not known to have left Libreville since then. Two sources familiar with the case told Reuters the family had left Gabon before midnight on Thursday. Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo were transferred to house arrest on May 9. They had most recently been held in basement cells in the presidential palace in Libreville, one of the sources familiar with the case said. Their supporters have said they were tortured in custody, though coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema, now serving as president, has denied that. Gabon's communications minister, Paul-Marie Gondjout, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nguema was sworn in for a seven-year term as president this month after winning an election with nearly 95% of the vote. In a meeting on April 30, the African Union's Peace and Security Council readmitted Gabon, whose membership of the AU had been suspended after the coup. In a statement, the council called for the immediate release of Ali Bongo's family and for guarantees that their rights and health would be protected. Bongo had ruled Gabon since 2009, taking over from his father, who died after more than four decades in office.
