| First Lady of Gabon | |
|---|---|
 | |
Incumbent Zita Nyangue Oligui Nguema since August 30, 2023 | |
| Residence | Presidential Palace, Liberville |
| Term length | No term limit/No term for First Lady. |
| Inaugural holder | Pauline M'ba |
| Formation | February 12, 1961 |
First Lady or First Gentleman of Gabon [1] is the title held by the spouse of the president of Gabon. The current first lady is Zita Nyangue Oligui Nguema, wife of Brice Oligui, the Transitional President of Gabon.
| Name | Term begins | Term ends | President of Gabon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pauline M'ba | 12 February 1961 | 27 November 1967 | Léon M'ba |
| Patience Dabany | 27 November 1967 | 1987 (Divorced) | Omar Bongo |
| Position vacant | 1987 | August 4, 1989 | Omar Bongo |
| Edith Lucie Bongo [1] | August 4, 1989 (Marriage to Bongo) | March 14, 2009 (Died in Office) | Omar Bongo |
| Position vacant | March 14, 2009 | 8 June 2009 | Vacant |
| Jacques Rogombé | 10 June 2009 | 16 October 2009 | Rose Francine Rogombé (Acting) |
| Sylvia Bongo Ondimba | 16 October 2009 | 30 August 2023 | Ali Bongo Ondimba |
| Zita Nyangue Oligui Nguema | 30 August 2023 | Present | Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema |
Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the Atlantic coast of West Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and its population is estimated at 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains, and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country's capital and the largest city.
Little is known of the history of Gabon prior to European contact. Bantu migrants settled the area beginning in the 14th century. Portuguese explorers and traders arrived in the area in the late 15th century. The coast subsequently became a center of the transatlantic slave trade with European slave traders arriving to the region in the 16th century. In 1839 and 1841, France established a protectorate over the coast. In 1849, captives released from a captured slave ship founded Libreville. In 1862–1887, France expanded its control including the interior of the state, and took full sovereignty. In 1910 Gabon became part of French Equatorial Africa and in 1960, Gabon became independent.
The politics of Gabon takes place in a framework of a republic whereby the president of Gabon is head of state and in effect, also the head of government, since he appoints the prime minister and his cabinet. The government is divided into three branches: the executive headed by the prime minister, the legislative that is formed by the two chambers of parliament, and the judicial branch. The judicial branch is technically independent and equal to the two other branches, although in practice, since its judges are appointed by the president, it is beholden to the same president. Since independence the party system is dominated by the conservative Gabonese Democratic Party.
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904.
The president of Gabon is the head of state of Gabon. A total of three people have served as president since the post was formed in 1960.
Omar Bongo Ondimba was a Gabonese politician who was the second president of Gabon for almost 42 years, from 1967 until his death in 2009. Bongo was promoted to key positions as a young official under Gabon's first President Léon M'ba in the 1960s, before being elected vice-president in his own right in 1966. In 1967, he succeeded M'ba to become the country's second president, upon the latter's death.
Jean Ping is a Gabonese diplomat and politician who served as Chair of the African Union Commission from 2008 to 2012. Born to a Chinese father and Gabonese mother, he is the first individual of Chinese descent to lead the executive branch of the African Union.
The prime minister of Gabon is the head of government of Gabon.
Ali Bongo Ondimba, also known as Ali Bongo and Ali Ben Bongo, is a Gabonese former politician who was the third president of Gabon from 2009 to 2023. He is a member of the Gabonese Democratic Party. He is the son of Omar Bongo, who was president of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009. During his father's presidency, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1991, represented Bongoville as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1991 to 1999, and was the Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2009. After his father's death, he won the 2009 Gabonese presidential election. He was reelected in 2016, in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations, and post-election protests and violence.
Patience Marie Josephine Kama Dabany, also known by the names Marie Joséphine Kama and Josephine Bongo, is a Gabonese singer and musician. Dabany served as the First Lady of Gabon from 1967 to 1987. For 28 years, she was married to Omar Bongo Ondimba, who was President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009. After their divorce, she successfully pursued a career in music. She is the mother of the former President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
The vice president of Gabon is a political position in Gabon. The vice president's role is to assist the president and the person serving as vice president has no interim role in the event of a power vacuum.
Édith Lucie Bongo Ondimba was the First Lady of Gabon as the wife of President Omar Bongo from 1989 to 2009.
The Order of Gabriela Silang is an all-female order of the Philippines It is named after Philippine national heroine, Gabriela Silang.
The Meknes Royal Military Academy is the Moroccan Army officer initial training centre. Created by Sultan Muley Yusef in 1918 at Meknes, it is a unique military institution in North Africa, it was originally created to train the sons of the Moroccan elites close to the colonial administration to become army officers designed to lead the Moroccan troops and later become exercising administrative positions in the Makhzen like pachas, caïds or khalifas. In 1961, it became the Royal Military Academy, since then this institution has contributed to the training of many military and administrative cadres in Morocco and Africa.
The Gabonese Republican Guard is an independent military formation in the Republic of Gabon that is responsible for protection of government officials and buildings. It is the most powerful security unit in Gabon and is responsible for ensuring internal security. It is a directly reporting unit of the National Gendarmerie.
Events in the year 2023 in Gabon.
Albert Ondo Ossa is a Gabonese politician, member of civil society and associate professor of economics at Omar Bongo University.
On 30 August 2023, a coup d'état occurred in Gabon shortly after the announcement that incumbent president Ali Bongo Ondimba had won the general election held on 26 August.
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is a Gabonese military officer serving as Transitional President of Gabon, chairman of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions and the Commander-in-Chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard. He is believed to have played a key part in the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état overthrowing Ali Bongo.
Régis Onanga Ndiaye is a Gabonese politician who has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 9 September 2023. Previously he served as the Ambassador to Senegal.
