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Interview

OBG talks to Patricia Danielle Manon, Director-General, BGFIB ank Gabon
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Interview:Patricia Danielle Manon What can financial institutions do to improve the banking penetration rate, especially in rural areas? PATRICIA DANIELLE MANON: Establishing a banking agency in Gabon involves high fixed investment costs, and every new branch requires a financial, social and marketing viability study. To increase the banking penetration rate, the sector must think beyond traditional…
Interview

OBG talks to Frank Legré, Managing Director for Africa, Air France
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Interview:Frank Legré What are the main constraints that airlines have to overcome in Africa? FRANK LEGRÉ: The first major constraint concerns the cost of operating on the whole continent, which is eventually transferred to the price of tickets, a fact that can sometimes be hard for customers to understand. Other factors, such as the costs associated with fuel, ground-handling companies,…
Interview

OBG talks to Takao Omori, CEO, Portek International
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Interview:Takao Omori To what extent do West and Central Africa need improved port infrastructure? TAKAO OMORI: The West African network is one of the most in need of regional trans-shipment centres, with Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria both offering possibilities. The West African market could also contain the Central African regions, which might be serviced by hubs at Pointe-Noire, for instance.…
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OBG talks to Luis Castilla, CEO, ACCIONA Infrastructure, Water and Services
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Interview:Luis Castilla What is the main financial challenge for large-scale infrastructure projects in Gabon? LUSI CASTILLA: The main constraint is the limited size of local financial markets. Domestic banks have insufficient experience in financing infrastructure projects and do not often have the necessary conditions to provide long-term credit. Infrastructure projects are a challenge to…
Interview

OBG talks to Mauricio Toledano, CEO, Eurofinsa
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Interview:Mauricio Toledano What are the constraints in financing large infrastructure projects in emerging markets? MAURICIO TOLEDANO: There should be no constraints when financing large infrastructure projects in emerging markets, as long as those countries are not under IMF strictures. However, budgetary considerations generally force operators to seek innovative solutions, which requires…
Interview

OBG talks to Pietro Amico, General Representative, Eramet Gabon
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Interview:Pietro Amico How can value-added activities be encouraged? PIETRO AMICO: The first sine qua non condition for industries such as metallurgy is the supply of energy at a sustainable competitive price, in particular electricity. Second is the availability of expertise. Anyone who considers processing activities knows that this stage goes beyond the typical mining activities well in…
Interview

OBG talks to Régis Immongault, Minister of Mines, Industry and Tourism
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Interview: Régis Immongault What strategies should be pursued to increase the attractiveness of the mining sector? REGIS IMMONGAULT: Gabon has remarkable mining potential and is committed to international standards. Even with our vast resources of manganese, iron, gold and tantalum, only three companies are exploiting them. This figure is insufficient for a country that aims to become a major mining…
Interview

OBG talks to Alain Ba Oumar, President, Federation of Operators of Electronic Communications of Gabon (FOCEG)
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Interview:Alain Ba Oumar What can be done to encourage better communication between the public and the private sector? ALAIN BA OUMAR: It is true that until the creation of FOCEG, every single private provider had its own development strategy and its own contacts to communicate with the public sector. Too many interlocutors, representatives and complimentary entities, such as the Regulatory…
Interview

OBG talks to Axcèle Kissangou-Mouele, Managing Director, Société de Patrimoine des Infrastructures Numeriques
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Interview:Axcèle Kissangou-Mouele What are the remaining main obstacles for highspeed connection in Gabon? AXCÉLEKISSANGOU-MOUELE:We need to accelerate the construction programme of digital infrastructure to achieve the goals of the Digital Gabon plan. This plan consists of six digital objectives that are simultaneously divided into 19 programmes, which include like construction…
Interview

OBG talks to Simon Ntoutoume Emane, Minister of Labour, Work and Vocational Training
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Interview:SimonNtoutoume Emane How is the Gabonese government dealing with the country’s high unemployment rate, especially the youth unemployment figures? SIMON NTOUTOUME EMANE: Nowadays the government’s major strategy for lowering the unemployment rate consists of educating the youth according to the market’s needs and, thus, ensure their inclusion in the workforce once they complete…