Jean Ping

Gabon
General Oligui's campaign in France off to a rocky start

The head of Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's French campaign, Firmin Maurice Nguema, who works at the Gabonese embassy in Paris, has upset his party allies already. A presidential envoy is jetting in to ease tensions.

Gabon
Ex-Jean Ping adviser Michel Ongoundou Loundah set to run for president

After taking over the Réagir party at the end of January, he has embarked on a tour of the country ahead of a presidential bid.

Gabon, Ivory Coast
Ivorian justice investigating Ping brothers

A-One Technology, the group founded by Franck and Jean-François Ping, is at the centre of an inquiry by the Ivorian judiciary for "unfair competition" and "use of fraudulent information". It follows a complaint from the Ivorian group Impact Palmarès R&D.

Gabon
The intriguing career trajectory of the new head of the Gabonese Sovereign Wealth Fund

Appointed by Gabon's president to head the state's main financial vehicle, Persis Lionel Essono Ondo presents himself as a seasoned investment banker. While his CV lists a number of positions at prominent businesses, the authenticity of his career path is in doubt.

Gabon
Gabon's overly discreet VP Joseph Owondault Berre in the hot seat

Appointed in the early days of Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's regime, Vice-President Joseph Owondault Berre has struggled to establish himself, with several members of the Transitional Council thinking of parting company with him.

Angola
Luanda seeks to return to AU Peace and Security Council

President João Lourenço can count on a handful of trusted men and women to support his country's bid to return to one of the most important institutions of the African Union.

Gabon, Ivory Coast
Gabonese presidential campaign strains Abidjan-Libreville relations

An audio recording, purportedly of a discussion between Gabonese opposition politicians Albert Ondo Ossa and Alexandre Barro-Chambrier, led to Libreville's foreign minister asking the Ivorian ambassador to explain himself.

Congo, Gabon
Omar Denis Junior Bongo's Brazzaville dowry sparks hopes of Gabon detente

The grandson of Congolese president Sassou Nguesso has given his fiancée's family a dowry at a ceremony in Brazzaville in the presence Omar Bongo's eldest daughter Pascaline, heralding a further thaw in relations between the two countries.

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou Nguesso, Pascaline Bongo, Sylvère Koyo, and Thomas Boni Yayi

Intrigues big and small: every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Congo RepublicPascaline Bongo's discreet visit to Denis Sassou Nguesso

TogoMacron's Africa adviser meets Faure Gnassingbé in Lomé

Ivory CoastTrouble stirs at the Grande Loge de Côte d'Ivoire

GuineaThomas Boni Yayi postpones Conakry visit

Gabon
Jean Ping allowed to travel again after years of house arrest

Having been banned from leaving Gabon for almost 7 years, Jean Ping, who still insists he rather than Ali Bongo was the rightful winner of a 2016 presidential election, will in the coming days travel to France for medical tests after being given a passport.

Gabon
Paris suspends sale of armoured vehicles to Republican Guard ahead of elections

Fearing repression during the 2023 presidential election, the French authorities have suspended the export of armoured vehicles to Libreville.

Gabon, Niger
Franck Ping discreetly lobbies Bazoum on behalf of Gauff Engineering

The business agent Franck Ping, the son of Gabon's former foreign minister Jean Ping, is the main architect of the electrification deal signed by the German company Gauff Engineering and the government of Niger.

Gabon
After government reshuffle, Ali Bongo renews PDG with balance between old and new

The Gabonese president, who has just appointed a number of allies in his government, followed up on 9 March with significant changes to the Parti Démocratique Gabonais (PDG) aimed at reaching an equilibrium to cater to all political boards.