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Interview

OBG talks to Régis Immongault Tatagani, Minister of Industry and Mining
OBG
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Interview:Régis Immongault Tatagani What steps are needed to increase the manufacturing sector’s participation in the economy? REGIS IMMONGAULT TATAGANI: The first element needed to initiate a successful industrialisation process is a thorough strategy. To that end, the focus has been on diversification of the local economy, hence diminishing an overreliance on the oil industry. Sectors…
Interview

OBG talks to Alex Bernard Bongo Ondimba, President, National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF)
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Interview:Alex Bernard Bongo Ondimba How can local consumers benefit from the African Coast to Europe (ACE) cable? ALEX BONGO ONDIMBA: Despite the recent growth in access to telecommunications services, especially in the mobile phone segment, Gabon suffers from excessively high internet costs. This is partly due to the lack of broadband infrastructure; however, the ACE cable will help address…
Interview

OBG talks to Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima
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Interview:Raymond Ndong Sima To what extent can Gabon implement economic policies emphasising raw material processing? RAYMOND NDONG SIMA: Beyond Gabon’s abundant and diverse natural resources, including minerals and forestry, the country enjoys political stability, beneficial to long-term industrial development. Local processing of raw materials will boost wealth creation and raise the standard…
Interview

OBG talks to Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
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Interview:Mo Ibrahim How would you rate the current state of Africa’s financial governance regimes? MO IBRAHIM: We are seeing many positive trends on the continent, including greater interest in equities. It is a vote of confidence in Africa and its future, and governance across the board has been improving since 2000. However, investors and businesses must not believe that this is just the…
Interview

OBG talks to Magloire Ngambia, Minister of Investment Promotion, Public Works, Transport, Housing and Tourism
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Interview:Magloire Ngambia What can be done to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) and foster long-term growth? MAGLORIE NGAMBIA: Reducing poverty and increasing prosperity remain priority objectives, and thankfully sub-Saharan Africa has good economic potential. Today, many countries are diversifying their economic partners. South-south trade patterns are increasing, and we can observe…
Interview

OBG talks to Nina Abouna, Director-General, Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Exports (APIEX)
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Interview:Nina Abouna How can non-traditional sources of financing facilitate infrastructure project implementation? NINA ABOUNA: Infrastructure financing, especially for transport, water, energy and communication networks, requires tremendous capital investments. Currently, these projects are often financed by the government, in large part by the revenues generated by the energy sector. Nevertheless,…
Interview

OBG talks to Izak Elyashiv, CEO, Telemenia
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Interview:Izak Elyashiv What are the challenges in connecting isolated areas into national power grids? IZAK ELYASHIV: The main challenge is the long distances between cities, with the cost of high-tension electrification lines making the provision of electricity to those areas particularly difficult. Most of the time, that price is higher than any other cost related to the construction of…
Interview

OBG talks to Thierry Tanoh, Former Group Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Transnational
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Interview:Thierry Tanoh How can the sector take advantage of low penetration rates to boost retail growth? THIERRY TANOH: With innovations in technology, such as mobile and internet banking, and given changes in regulation, with agency banking as an example, this is probably the most exciting time in recent history for African banks to increase the banking penetration in hereto unprofitable…
Interview

OBG talks to Etienne Ngoubou, Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Hydroelectric Resources
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Interview:Etienne Ngoubou What is the timeline for deep offshore explorations? ETIENNE NGOUBOU: This year is a turning point for the hydrocarbons industry in Gabon, with deep and ultra-deep offshore exploration beginning. As a result of the government’s commercial campaigns, three companies – Total, Perenco and Shell – obtained licences to lead the exploration. Total Gabon began drilling…
Interview

OBG talks to Pierre Vandebeeck, Chairman and Managing Director, Société d’Investissement pour l’Agriculture Tropicale (Siat)
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Interview:Pierre Vandebeeck What were the main factors in listing Siat on the Central African Stock Exchange (Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobiliéres d’Afrique Centrale, BVMAC)? PIERRE VANDEBEECK: In 2004, a convention development was signed under the condition that Siat Gabon would be 100% controlled by Siat Belgium, yet, when ready, it would open up its capital to local investors. Today,…