Background Note: Gabon
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Geography
Area: 267,667 sq. km. (103,347 sq. mi.); about the size of Colorado.
Cities: Capital--Libreville (pop. 673,995). Other cities--Port-Gentil (118,940), Franceville.
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly, heavily forested interior (about 80% forested); some savanna regions in east and
south.
Climate: Hot and humid all year with two rainy and two dry seasons.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Gabonese (sing. and pl.).
Population (July 2007 est.): 1,454,867.
Annual growth rate (2007 est.): 2.036%.
Ethnic groups: Fang (largest), Myene, Bapounou, Eshira, Bandjabi, Bakota, Nzebi, Bateke/Obamba.
Religions: Christian (55%-75%), Muslim, animist.
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 16 Attendance--60%. Literacy--63%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--91/1,000. Life expectancy--56.2 yrs.
Work force (500,000 est.): Agriculture--52%; industry and commerce--16%; services and government--33%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: August 17, 1960.
Constitution: February 21, 1961 (revised April 15, 1975; rewritten March 26, 1991; revised July 29, 2003).
Branches: Executive--president (head of state); prime minister (head of government) and appointed Council of Ministers. Legislative--bicameral legislature (National Assembly and Senate). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 9 provinces, 36 prefectures, and 8 subprefectures.
Political parties: Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG) holds the largest number of seats in the National Assembly; there are several others.
Suffrage: Universal, direct.
Central government budget (2001 est.): Receipts--$1.6 billion; expenses--$1.2 billion; defense (1999)--3.0% of government budget.
Economy
Real GDP (2007 est.): $5.915 billion.
Annual real growth rate (2007 est.): 5.6%
Per capita income (2007 est.): $7,887.
Avg. inflation rate: 1.2%.
Natural resources: Petroleum, timber, manganese, uranium.
Agriculture and forestry (6% of GDP): Products--cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar, and pineapples. Cultivated land--1%.
Industry (59% of GDP): Types--petroleum related, wood processing, food and beverage processing.
Services (36% of GDP).
Trade (2007): $8.499 billion. Exports--61% of GDP (f.o.b.): petroleum, wood, manganese. Major markets--U.S. 53%, China 8.5%, France 7.4%, EU, Asia. Imports--30% of GDP (f.o.b.): construction equipment, machinery, food, automobiles, manufactured goods. Major suppliers--France 43%, U.S. 6.3%, U.K. 5.8%, Netherlands 4%. Current account balance with U.S. (2007 est.)--$1.689 billion
PEOPLE
Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups, with separate languages and cultures The
largest is the Fang (about 30%). Other ethnic groups include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba,
Nzebi, and Bakota. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the
official language, is a unifying force. More than 12,000 French people live in Gabon, including an estimated 2,000 dual
nationals, and France dominates foreign cultural and commercial influences. Historical and environmental factors caused
Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940 It is one of the least densely inhabited countries in Africa, and a
labor shortage is a major obstacle to development and a draw for foreign workers The population is generally accepted to
be just over 1 million but remains in dispute.
HISTORY
During the last seven centuries, Bantu ethnic groups arrived in the area from several directions to escape enemies or
find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact, but tribal art suggests rich cultural heritages.
Gabon's first European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century and named the country after the
Portuguese word "gabao," a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Komo River estuary. The coast became a
center of the slave trade. Dutch, British, and French traders came in the 16th century. France assumed the status of
protector by signing treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs in 1839 and 1841. American missionaries from New England
established a mission at Baraka (now Libreville) in 1842. In 1849, the French captured a slave ship and released the
passengers at the mouth of the Komo River. The slaves named their settlement Libreville--"free town." An American, Paul
du Chaillu, was among the first foreigners to explore the interior of the country in the 1850s. French explorers
penetrated Gabon's dense jungles between 1862 and 1887. The most famous, Savorgnan de Brazza, used Gabonese bearers and
guides in his search for the headwaters of the Congo River. France occupied Gabon in 1885 but did not administer it
until 1903. In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived
until 1959. The territories became independent in 1960 as the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), and
Gabon.
At the time of Gabon's independence in 1960, two principal political parties existed: the Bloc Democratique Gabonais (BDG), led by Leon M'Ba, and the Union Democratique et Sociale Gabonaise (UDSG), led by J.H. Aubame. In the first post-independence election, held under a parliamentary system, neither party
was able to win a majority. The BDG obtained support from three of the four independent legislative deputies, and M'Ba
was named Prime Minister. Soon after concluding that Gabon had an insufficient number of people for a two-party system,
the two party leaders agreed on a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election, held under the new
presidential system, M'Ba became President and Aubame became Foreign Minister.
This one-party system appeared to work until February 1963, when the larger BDG element forced the UDSG members to
choose between a merger of the parties or resignation. The UDSG cabinet ministers resigned, and M'Ba called an election
for February 1964 and a reduced number of National Assembly deputies (from 67 to 47). The UDSG failed to muster a list
of candidates able to meet the requirements of the electoral decrees. When the BDG appeared likely to win the election
by default, the Gabonese military toppled M'Ba in a bloodless coup on February 18, 1964. French troops re-established
his government the next day. Elections were held in April 1964 with many opposition participants. BDG-supported
candidates won 31 seats and the opposition 16. Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic
succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo (then
Albert Bongo) were elected President and Vice President. M'Ba died later that year, and Omar Bongo became President.
In March 1968, Bongo declared Gabon a one-party state by dissolving the BDG and establishing a new party--the Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG). He invited all Gabonese, regardless of previous political affiliation, to participate. Bongo was elected
President in February 1975; in April 1975, the office of vice president was abolished and replaced by the office of
prime minister, who had no right to automatic succession. Bongo was re-elected President in December 1979 and November
1986 to 7-year terms. Using the PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that divided Gabonese
politics in the past, Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development
policies.
Economic discontent and a desire for political liberalization provoked violent demonstrations and strikes by students
and workers in early 1990. In response to grievances by workers, Bongo negotiated with them on a sector-by-sector basis,
making significant wage concessions. In addition, he promised to open up the PDG and to organize a national political
conference in March-April 1990 to discuss Gabon's future political system. The PDG and 74 political organizations
attended the conference. Participants essentially divided into two loose coalitions, the ruling PDG and its allies, and
the United Front of Opposition Associations and Parties, consisting of the breakaway Morena Fundamental and the Gabonese
Progress Party.
The April 1990 conference approved sweeping political reforms, including creation of a national Senate, decentralization
of the budgetary process, freedom of assembly and press, and cancellation of the exit visa requirement. In an attempt to
guide the political system's transformation to multiparty democracy, Bongo resigned as PDG chairman and created a
transitional government headed by a new Prime Minister, Casimir Oye-Mba. The Gabonese Social Democratic Grouping (RSDG),
as the resulting government was called, was smaller than the previous government and included representatives from
several opposition parties in its cabinet. The RSDG drafted a provisional constitution in May 1990 that provided a basic
bill of rights and an independent judiciary but retained strong executive powers for the president. After further review
by a constitutional committee and the National Assembly, this document came into force in March 1991. Under the 1991
constitution, in the event of the president's death, the prime minister, the National Assembly president, and the
defense minister were to share power until a new election could be held.
Opposition to the PDG continued, however, and in September 1990, two coup d'etat attempts were uncovered and aborted.
Despite anti-government demonstrations after the untimely death of an opposition leader, the first multiparty National
Assembly elections in almost 30 years took place in September-October 1990, with the PDG garnering a large majority.
Following President Bongo's re-election in December 1993 with 51% of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate
the election results. Serious civil disturbances led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to
work toward a political settlement. These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which several
opposition figures were included in a government of national unity. This arrangement soon broke down, however, and the
1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics. The PDG won a
landslide victory in the legislative election, but several major cities, including Libreville, elected opposition mayors
during the 1997 local election.
Facing a divided opposition, President Bongo coasted to easy re-election in December 1998, with large majorities of the
vote. While Bongo's major opponents rejected the outcome as fraudulent, some international observers characterized the
results as representative despite any perceived irregularities, and there were none of the civil disturbances that
followed the 1993 election. Peaceful though flawed legislative elections held in 2001-02, which were boycotted by a
number of smaller opposition parties and were widely criticized for their administrative weaknesses, produced a National
Assembly almost completely dominated by the PDG and allied independents. In November 2005, President Bongo was elected
for his sixth term. He won re-election easily, but opponents claim that the balloting process was marred by
irregularities. There were some instances of violence following the announcement of Bongo's win, but Gabon generally
remained peaceful.
National Assembly elections were held again in December 2006. Several seats contested because of voting irregularities
were overturned by the Constitutional Court, but the subsequent run-off elections in early 2007 again yielded a
PDG-controlled National Assembly.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Under the 1961 constitution (revised in 1975, rewritten in 1991, and revised in 2003), Gabon is a republic with a
presidential form of government. The National Assembly has 120 deputies elected for a 5-year term. The president is
elected by universal suffrage for a 7-year term. The president can appoint and dismiss the prime minister, the cabinet,
and judges of the independent Supreme Court. The president also has other strong powers, such as authority to dissolve
the National Assembly, declare a state of siege, delay legislation, and conduct referenda. A 2003 constitutional
amendment removed presidential term limits and facilitated a presidency for life.
In 1990 the government made major changes to Gabon's political system. A transitional constitution was drafted in May
1990 as an outgrowth of the national political conference in March-April and later revised by a constitutional
committee. Among its provisions were a Western-style bill of rights, creation of a National Council of Democracy to
oversee the guarantee of those rights, a governmental advisory board on economic and social issues, and an independent
judiciary. After approval by the National Assembly, the PDG Central Committee, and the President, the Assembly
unanimously adopted the constitution in March 1991. Multiparty legislative elections were held in 1990-91, despite the
fact that opposition parties had not been declared formally legal.
The elections produced the first representative, multiparty National Assembly. In January 1991, the Assembly passed by
unanimous vote a law governing the legalization of opposition parties. After President Bongo was re-elected in a
disputed election in 1993 with 51% of votes cast, social and political disturbances led to the 1994 Paris Conference and
Accords, which provided a framework for the next elections. Local and legislative elections were delayed until 1996-97.
In 1997, constitutional amendments were adopted to create an appointed Senate and the position of vice president, and to
extend the president's term to 7 years.
For administrative purposes, Gabon is divided into 9 provinces, which are further divided into 36 prefectures and 8
separate subprefectures. The president appoints the provincial governors, the prefects, and the subprefects.
Principal Government Officials
President of the Republic, Founder of the Gabonese Democratic Party--El Hadj Omar Bongo
Vice President--Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge
Prime Minister, Head of Government--Jean Eyeghe Ndong
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Paul Toungui
Minister of Finance--Blaise Louembe
Minister of Energy--Casimir Oye Mba
Ambassador to the United States--Carlos Boungou
Ambassador to the United Nations--Denis Dangue Rewaka
Gabon maintains an embassy in the United States at 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-797-1000).
ECONOMY
Gabon's economy is dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise 65% of the Government of Gabon budget, 43% of gross domestic
product (GDP), and 81% of exports. Oil production is now declining rapidly from its high point of 370,000 barrels per
day in 1997. In spite of the decreasing oil revenues, little planning has been done for an after-oil scenario. Gabon
public expenditures from the years of significant oil revenues were not spent efficiently. Overspending on the
Transgabonais railroad, the oil price shock of 1986, the CFA franc devaluation of 1994, and low oil prices in the late
1990s caused serious debt problems. Gabon has earned a poor reputation with the Paris Club and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for the management of its debt and revenues. Successive IMF missions have criticized the government
for overspending on off-budget items (in good years and bad), over-borrowing from the Central Bank, and slipping on the
schedule for privatization and administrative reform. In September 2005, Gabon successfully concluded a 15-month
Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF. Following this, Gabon sought a multi-year successor arrangement that was formally
proposed to the IMF in 2007.
Gabon's oil revenues have given it a strong per capita GDP of $7,800, extremely high for the region. On the other hand,
a skewed income distribution and poor social indicators are evident. The richest 20% of the population receives over 90%
of the income, and about a third of Gabonese live in poverty. The economy is highly dependent on extraction of abundant
primary materials. After oil, logging and manganese mining are the other major sectors. Foreign and Gabonese observers
have consistently lamented the lack of transformation of primary materials in the Gabonese economy. Various factors have
so far stymied more diversification--small market of 1 million people, dependence on French imports, inability to
capitalize on regional markets, lack of entrepreneurial zeal among the Gabonese, and the fairly regular stream of oil
"rent". The small processing and service sectors are largely dominated by just a few prominent local investors. At World
Bank and IMF insistence, the government embarked on a program of privatization of its state-owned companies and
administrative reform, including reducing public sector employment and salary growth, but progress has been slow.
DEFENSE
Gabon has a small, professional military of about 10,000 personnel, divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and
national police. Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have not been trained for an offensive
role. A well-trained, well-equipped 1,500-member guard provides security for the president.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Gabon has followed a nonaligned policy, advocating dialogue in international affairs and recognizing both parts of
divided countries. Since 1973, the number of countries establishing diplomatic relations with Gabon has doubled. In
inter-African affairs, Gabon espouses development by evolution rather than revolution and favors regulated free
enterprise as the system most likely to promote rapid economic growth. Concerned about stability in Central Africa and
the potential for intervention, Gabon has been directly involved with mediation efforts in Chad, the Central African
Republic, Angola, Congo/Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. In December 1999, through the
mediation efforts of President Bongo, a peace accord was signed in Congo/Brazzaville between the government and most
leaders of an armed rebellion. President Bongo has remained involved in the continuing Congolese peace process, and has
also played a role in mediating the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire. Gabon has been a strong proponent of regional stability,
and Gabonese armed forces played an important role in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)
mission to the Central African Republic.
Gabon is a member of the UN and some of its specialized and related agencies, as well as of the World Bank; the African
Union (AU); the Central African Customs Union/Central African Economic and Monetary Community (UDEAC/CEMAC); EU/ACP
association under the Lome Convention; the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA); the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); the Nonaligned Movement; and the Economic Community of Central
African States (ECCAS/CEEAC). Gabon withdrew from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1995.
U.S.-GABONESE RELATIONS
Relations between the United States and Gabon are excellent. In 1987, President Bongo made an official visit to
Washington, DC. In September 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell made a brief but historic visit to Gabon to highlight
environmental protection and conservation in the Central Africa region. This was followed by a visit to the White House
by President Bongo in May 2004. The United States imports a considerable percentage of Gabonese crude oil and manganese
and exports heavy construction equipment, aircraft, and machinery to Gabon. Through a modest International Military
Education and Training program, the United States provides military training to members of the Gabonese armed forces
each year. Other bilateral assistance includes the funding of small grants for qualified democracy and human rights,
self-help, and cultural preservation projects. U.S. private capital has been attracted to Gabon since before its
independence.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Eunice Reddick
Deputy Chief of Mission--Nathan Holt
Management Officer--Charles Morrill
Public Affairs/Economic/Commercial Officer--John Corrao
Political Officer--Leslie Williams Doumbia
Defense Attaché--Rene Dechaine
Consular Officer--Grace Genuino
The U.S. Embassy is located on the Blvd. de la Mer, B.P. 4000, Libreville, Gabon (tel: 241-762-003/004; fax: 241-745-507).
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