After Tuesday’s resignation of Gabon’s Economy Minister, Jean-Marie Ogandaga, following several financial scandals, things have accelerated. The government was slightly reshuffled on Wednesday. Nicole Mbou was appointed to the post of the resigning minister.
At the age of 54, Nicole Mbou became the second woman to hold the post of Minister of Economy and Finance under Ali Bongo. Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, currently Prime Minister, was the first woman to hold this position. Gabon is further affirming its policy for the promotion of women.
The new Minister of the Economy has a well-filled CV. Trained in Gabon, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Finance, Nicole Mbou continued her higher education in France, where she obtained a Higher Studies Diploma from the University of Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne and a diploma from the Financial, Economic and Banking Studies Centre.
Back in Gabon, she started her career at the Gabonese Development Bank before joining the Ministry of Economy. She worked in debt servicing before being promoted to Deputy Minister 5 months ago. Nicole Mbou knows perfectly well the files that brought down her predecessor, Jean-Marie Ogandaga. These include the long strike of tax collectors and the exaggerated tax allowances granted to oil companies.