Gabon Swears In Ex-junta Chief Oligui As President
Gabon’s President-elect, Brice Oligui Nguema, has been sworn in.
The general and former junta leader, who toppled Ali Bongo in August 2023 ending 55 years of dynastic rule by the Bongo family, was sworn in on Saturday, 3rd May, 2025.
He has officially taken the presidential reins after leading a 19-month transition government.
His inauguration took place at a stadium north of the capital, Libreville, with about 20 African heads of state in attendance.
The 40,000-capacity venue also saw large crowds of Nguema’s supporters, many wearing branded T-shirts bearing the President’s image
African leaders present included Gambia’s Adama Barrow, Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s President, Felix Tshisekedi, also arrived around midday.
Attendance at the inauguration, held at Angondjé Stadium, built to symbolise the friendship between Gabon and China, was free of charge.
It marked the first time a swearing-in ceremony in the country drew such a large public audience.
– Challenges ahead
Oligui, 50, faces serious challenges in leading the oil-rich country, which needs to revamp crucial infrastructure and diversify its economy but is heavily indebted.
Among the main concerns are an ageing electricity network which suffers frequent power cuts, youth unemployment that hovers at 40 percent, poor or lacking roads and a ballooning public debt, forecast to hit 80 percent of GDP this year.
During the transition, Oligui portrayed himself as a “builder”, launching numerous construction projects, while vowing to “crack down” on corruption to get the country back on track.
