Ali Bongo was hosted yesterday afterday at the Elysée by his French counterpart, François Hollande. Both personalities touched on subjects marring the good quality of relations between France and Gabon. The Gabonese president expressed his intense displeasure at the treatment given to his chief of staff, Maixent Accrombessi, who was unceremoniously taken in for questioning during a recent stay in France. He insisted that all measures should be put in place to harmonise the relations between the two countries once and for all.

The two heads of state, indicates a communiqué issued by the Office of the President of Gabon, also discussed the historical economic partnership existing between the two countries and the shared interest to strengthen it through a greater involvement of French companies in Gabon. Particularly, in the growing markets of processing and services. “Ali Bongo Ondimba invited French companies to come and invest in Gabon and to benefit from an average annual growth rate of 5.9% since 2009”, the document reads.

It should be recalled that France still benefits from a preferential position in Gabon by remaining its main supplier, though the market shares of French companies has been reducing (21% in 2014). 120 French companies are represented in Gabon, covering the different sectors of the economy, with traditionally a stronger presence in the oil, mining and wood sector.