Macron visits Gabon two years after the end of the Bongo Era

Sunday 23 November 2025 - 14:00

By: Sahili Aya

Macron visits Gabon two years after the end of the Bongo Era

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to arrive in Gabon on Sunday for a visit aimed at “strengthening and renewing” bilateral relations, two years after the military takeover that ended the Bongo family's 55-year rule.

Macron, who is traveling through Africa after stops in Mauritius and South Africa and before heading to Angola on Monday, is expected in Libreville at 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. GMT). He will meet shortly afterward with Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the August 2023 coup and was elected in April following a 19-month political transition.

According to the Élysée Palace, Macron intends to “acknowledge the completion of the transition” and express French “support” for the new government. The visit follows President Oligui’s trip to Paris last May and, according to Gabon’s presidency, reflects a “deeply renewed political dynamic” marked by “a dialogue now based on equal partnerships.”

General Oligui’s election was deemed credible by international observers, who reported no major irregularities.

A more francophile leadership

Unlike several Sahelian countries that broke ties with France after successive coups between 2021 and 2023, Gabon’s new authorities have maintained close relations with Paris. François Gaulme, an expert at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), notes that the new president is “far more francophile” than his predecessor, Ali Bongo, who had gradually distanced himself from France during his presidency.

Gabon was ruled for more than four decades by Omar Bongo (1967–2009), a key figure of the historical “Françafrique” system that forged political and economic networks between France and its former African colonies. His son, Ali Bongo, succeeded him in 2009.

After taking power, Oligui renewed the defense partnership with France for two years, though the agreement must be reassessed in January. As part of its broader military restructuring in Africa, France has reduced its presence in Gabon to around 100 troops—far fewer than the 1,200 stationed there in the 2000s. Their mission now focuses primarily on training Gabonese forces. A new Academy for Environmental and Natural Resource Protection will soon open at Camp de Gaulle, where French soldiers are based.

French companies are also seeking to expand their presence in this Central African nation of 2.3 million inhabitants, already active in the oil, manganese, and timber sectors. Gabon is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s top oil producers and among the continent’s wealthiest countries in GDP per capita (USD 8,820 in 2022).

The challenge of economic diversification

Despite this wealth, Gabon’s economy remains heavily dependent on hydrocarbons. According to the World Bank, one in three citizens lived below the poverty line at the end of 2024. The French Development Agency (AFD) is contributing to the rehabilitation of the Transgabonais railway, the country’s only rail line and a critical route for the export of manganese.

A renovation plan launched in 2024 aims to replace 270 of the line’s 648 kilometers of sleepers and rails by 2027—an enormous undertaking given unstable soils, dense tropical forest, and heavy rainfall. The journey between Libreville and Franceville, available three times a week, can take up to 22 hours for 650 km. Road travel, often on degraded tracks, can take days, especially during the rainy season.

During his previous visit in March 2023, Macron declared that the “Françafrique era” was “over” and that France now sought to be a “neutral partner” on the continent. Since taking office in 2017, he has promoted a new approach toward Africa focused on youth, memory initiatives, engagement with English-speaking countries, and economic “win-win” partnerships.