Spotlight | Gabon
How Ali Bongo staged his comeback

Ivory Coast
Corsican businessman Michel Tomi to open casino in Abidjan

To boost his business in Africa, the Corsican entrepreneur is hoping to open what would be Abidjan's second casino, for which he will have to also build a 5-star hotel.

Palace Intrigues
Alassane Ouattara, Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Aristides Gomès, Omar Denis Bongo Junior

Intrigues big and small... Every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Ivory Coast/Burkina Faso Ouattara wary of the Burkinabe PM

Congo Arlette Soudan-Nonault still enjoying the limelight

Guinea-Bissau Former PM Gomès calls on France and the UN to help

Equatorial Guinea Omar Denis Bongo Junior supports Obiang in Malabo

France, Gabon
Time for Tomi to pay French taxes, rules Council of State

After years of court battles over tax on commissions, the French Council of State ruled Michel Tomi had to pay some taxes in France.

France, Gabon
Eveline Diatta-Accrombessi's TV channel faces creditor in Paris court

The pan-African channel Edan TV owned by Eveline Diatta-Accrombessi was ordered by a Paris court at the end of March to pay one of its French contractors.

Gabon
On Sylvia Bongo's birthday, first couple travel to the Maldives

Syvia Bongo and Ali Bongo flew to the Maldives last week to celebrate the first lady's 11 March birthday on the islands. On the way, the presidential couple stopped over in Dubai.

Gabon
Bongo family opts for long European holiday

Already somewhat detached from the day-to-day running of the country, the presidential couple are planning to holiday for several weeks in Europe.

France, Gabon
Will France continue to be Bongo's preferred partner in eavesdropping ?

Long a key component of France's low-key but continuing electronic intelligence cooperation with Gabon, Ali Bongo's eavesdropping service is struggling to adapt to Libreville's new political landscape.

Gabon, Mauritius
Bongo aides talk turkey with Trafigura after Augusta ouster

The office of Gabon's president is negotiating with Trafigura to take over the off-take agreement between Augusta and the national refinery company.

Document | Gabon, Mauritania
Olam self-medicates marketing strategy to shore up its image

While marching on with its strategy to divest from African infrastructure projects and facing up to a feisty inquiry commission in Mauritania, the Olam group is actively engaging African countries faced with the Covid-19 pandemic to improve its reputation.

Gabon
Sylvia Bongo ally François Auguste Akomezogho to get top finance job?

François Auguste Akomezogho, who has been the director-general of taxes for three years, is tipped to be appointed minister of [...]

Gabon
Family connections take sting out of Scorpion crackdown

Despite the rearguard actions of lawyers representing the ex-presidential chief of staff Brice Laccruche Alihanga, who has been in detention [...]

Gabon
President's office leaning towards mining bidding round

The president's office is keen to ride on a wave of foreign interest in Gabon's manganese sector (AMI 452) to [...]

Gabon
Noureddin Bongo gifted his first political role

Barely had he been appointed as general coordinator of presidential affairs on 5 December than Noureddin Bongo, the eldest son [...]

Gabon
How 'Operation Scorpion' was born

The initial seed of the 'Scorpion' anti-corruption drive, which culminated on 13 December with the arrest of the president's ex-chief of staff Brice Laccruche, was a dossier compiled by long-term fixtures in Ali Bongo's regime.

Gabon
Office of the president keeps it close to the family

On the night of November 7, the president's office had to have a second go at publishing the full list [...]

Gabon
President Ali Bongo's private office on verge of implosion

Already palpable, the tensions between the chief of staff Brice Laccruche Alihanga and the presidential family have become unbearable and could blow up at any moment.

Gabon
Omar Denis Jr Bongo researches Togolese politics

A student at the University of Oxford in England since 2018 after three years at Harvard, 25-year-old Omar Denis Jr [...]

Gabon
Ambitions rife at presidential palace

While the Bongo family prepares for the Gabonese president's media comeback, several figures are honing their image as the man for the future.

Gabon
"Bati" Tomi eyes up Satram

In the doldrums since the arrest of its director Ait Ben Ali Mohamed as part of "Operation Mamba", Satram is attracting interest from new investors, including "Bati" Tomi.

Gabon
How Maixent Accrombessi tried to save the loyal Otandault

Staying in Libreville since last week, Ali Bongo's former chief of staff Maixent Accrombessi did his best to ensure that [...]

Gabon
Brice Laccruche Alihanga wins over media

Ali Bongo's chief of staff, Brice Laccruche Alihanga, has been consolidating his relationship with the media in order to hone [...]

Gabon
Sylvia Bongo claims the head of 'Monsieur Park'

There was distinct unease among the nomenklatura of Libreville when they become aware of a sentence in the minutes of [...]

Spotlight | Gabon
Another DGH boss falls victim to Perenco-Total deal

When Perenco bought several of Total's offshore assets in Gabon in May 2017, the transaction came with a cut to the Gabonese State' share of production. Africa Energy Intelligence examines an affair that has cost the head of hydrocarbons his [.

Gabon
Bongo falls out with Gabon's Corsicans

Like other French business people who were once pally with Omar Bongo, the head of the construction, casino and airline group Kabi is on poor terms with Ali Bongo.