Libreville, Friday, July 10, 2026 – Gabon’s business community embarks on a fresh chapter. Weeks after his election as head of the Fédération des entreprises du Gabon (FEG), Alain-Claude Kouakoua formally established the executive bureau in Libreville, tasked with guiding the organization through its 2026-2029 mandate.
Beyond this institutional inauguration lies a broader aspiration: to re-establish the private sector as a primary catalyst for the nation’s economic transformation.
Amidst ongoing challenges related to diversification, enhancing competitiveness, and improving the business climate, the newly appointed leadership team shoulders a pivotal mission. Their goal is to elevate the employers’ federation beyond merely representing economic interests, positioning it as a central player in the reforms designed to propel the modernization of the Gabonese economy.
The bureau’s installation comes at a crucial juncture when African economies are striving to bolster the private sector’s role in job creation, fostering innovation, and generating wealth. This imperative is amplified by budgetary constraints that often limit states’ ability to solely finance the necessary investments for development.
A leadership team structured around vital sectors
The FEG’s new governing framework features two strategic advisors, Charles Tchen and Seydou Kane, supported by thirteen vice-presidents. These vice-presidents represent the key pillars of Gabon’s national economy, an organizational choice that underscores a commitment to ensuring balanced representation across sectors deemed crucial for the country’s future growth.
Jean-Baptiste Bikalou will oversee employment, vocational training, and international relations, while Dimitri Ndjébi assumes responsibility for issues concerning competitiveness, economic development, and financial inclusion. Extractive industries maintain a strong presence, with Léod Paul Batolo heading the mining sector, Christophe Blanc for hydrocarbons, and Frédéric Ober for the timber industry—three domains that continue to be significant drivers of the Gabonese economy.
Industrial transformation, commerce, services, logistics, healthcare, tourism, crafts, and the digital economy also have dedicated representatives within this new governance structure. This strategic selection reflects the evolving landscape of the national economic fabric and the expressed intention to prepare sectors poised to fuel growth in the coming decades.
The imperative of economic dialogue
Alain-Claude Kouakoua affirmed that this team was meticulously assembled based on criteria of competence, complementarity, and effectiveness to ensure cohesive stewardship of the federation’s priorities. The FEG president champions a collegial governance model founded on accountability, collective responsibility, and continuous dialogue among all economic stakeholders.
Beyond advocating for businesses, the Federation intends to play an expanded role in consultations with public authorities. This collaboration aims to support reforms designed to enhance the overall business environment. Significant expectations from the private sector persist regarding taxation, administrative streamlining, legal protection for investments, enterprise financing, and logistical competitiveness.
In a regional landscape characterized by heightened competition to attract international capital and investments, the quality of dialogue between public authorities and economic actors is becoming a decisive factor for sustainable growth.
A rich legacy confronting future challenges
Gabon’s employers’ organization boasts one of the longest histories within the national economic sphere. Established in 1959 as the Union interprofessionnelle du Gabon, later becoming the Confédération patronale gabonaise, and finally adopting the name Fédération des entreprises du Gabon in 2022, it has supported the country’s economic evolution for over six decades.
Its core mission remains constant: to represent business interests, foster investment, support job creation, and strengthen dialogue between the private sector and public authorities. However, the operating context has profoundly shifted.
The ongoing transition towards a more diversified, innovative economy, less reliant on raw materials, now mandates the employers’ federation to assume a more proactive role in shaping economic policies and facilitating structural reforms. The mandate commencing for the 2026-2029 period will thus serve as a crucial test of the Gabonese private sector’s capacity to emerge as a strategic partner in the nation’s economic transformation.
Across Africa, where the trajectory of growth increasingly hinges on entrepreneurial vitality, the Fédération des entreprises du Gabon is determined to demonstrate that an employers’ federation can be far more than just a representative body. It can become a driving force for modernization, innovation, and economic sovereignty.