GABON · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Gabon is a small, oil-producing nation on Central Africa’s Atlantic coast, ruled by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema since a 2023 coup.
- —What happened On Sunday 11 October, the presidency announced a reshuffle on television: five ministers left the government and eight newcomers joined.
- —Who stays Oil and gas minister Clotaire Kondja, mines minister Sosthène Nguema Nguema and finance minister Thierry Minko all keep their posts.
- —New energy minister Olivier Mouckocko, a geologist who was director of infrastructure and equipment at Eramet Comilog Manganese, replaces Philippe Tonangoye at water and energy.
- —The numbers The new team has 32 members besides Vice-President of the Government Hermann Immongault, according to the state news agency AGP.
- —What it means for you Investors in Gabon’s oil, including New York-listed VAALCO Energy, keep the same oil and finance ministers to deal with.
- —Still open The presidency gave no reason for the changes, and the planned flared-gas tax has no rate or start date yet.
A Gabon reshuffle announced on Sunday 11 October brought eight new ministers into the government of President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and removed five. The secretary general of the presidency read the list on television, according to the Libreville news site Gabonreview and the state news agency AGP.
For foreign investors, including US oil producer VAALCO Energy, the Gabon reshuffle keeps the oil, mines and finance ministers in place. The water and energy minister is out after months of water shortages and power cuts.
Who Leaves and Who Joins in the Gabon Reshuffle
Oligui Nguema led the August 2023 coup that ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule. He won the presidential election of 12 April 2025, and a new constitution abolished the post of prime minister.
The five ministers dropped in the Gabon reshuffle held water and energy, national education, institutional reform, industry, and social affairs.
Gabonreview listed the eight newcomers. They take over energy, fisheries, trade, social affairs, public works, tourism, the environment and a deputy post at the interior ministry.
Emmanuel Eyeghe Nze becomes minister of trade, industry and processing, and also government spokesman. Jacqueline Ilogue, previously labour minister, moves to national education.
Edgard Moukoumbi moves from public works to the interior ministry, which runs the police and local government. His predecessor there, Adrien Nguema Mba, takes over labour.
Hermann Immongault keeps his post as vice-president of the government, the official who coordinates the cabinet for the president. Defence minister Brigitte Onkanowa and transport minister Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi remain ministers of state, the senior rank.
A Mining Executive Takes Over Power and Water
The Gabon reshuffle also replaces the minister for universal access to water and energy. Philippe Tonangoye, appointed in May 2025, leaves after months of water shortages and power cuts, according to the news site Gabon Media Time.
The outlet cited repeated blackouts at SEEG, the state water and power utility, along with sabotage, equipment theft and a fire at its headquarters. Those problems strained households and fed public discontent, it wrote.
His successor, Olivier Mouckocko, is a geologist trained in groundwater science. Before Sunday he was director of infrastructure and equipment at Eramet Comilog Manganese, according to AGP.
Comilog, controlled by the French mining group Eramet, runs the large manganese mine at Moanda in southeastern Gabon. Manganese is a metal used to harden steel and in some electric-vehicle batteries.
Oil, Mines and Finance Stay in the Same Hands
Clotaire Kondja remains minister of oil and gas, and Sosthène Nguema Nguema remains minister of mines, according to the full list published by Gabonreview. Marie-Edith Tassyla-Ye-Doumbeneny stays on as foreign minister.
Thierry Minko keeps the economy and finance ministry, which also handles debt and state shareholdings. On Thursday 8 October, the cabinet noted his ministry’s plan for an environmental tax on gas that oil companies burn off.
In September alone, keeping pump prices stable cost the state 30 billion CFA francs (about US$51 million), according to the official communiqué of that meeting. The communiqué blamed the jump on the crisis in the Middle East.
Before the war in Ukraine, the monthly bill ran at 7 billion to 9 billion CFA francs (about US$12 million to US$15 million). These amounts are converted at about 586 CFA francs to the US dollar on 12 October 2026.
The cabinet also approved Gabon’s attendance at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Bangkok, from 12 to 18 October. The World Bank estimates that Gabon’s public debt passed 80% of gross domestic product in 2025.
What It Means for US Readers
Gabon pumps oil on land and off its Atlantic coast, and a US company is among the operators. Houston-based VAALCO Energy, listed in New York, operates the offshore Etame Marin block with a 58.8% working interest, according to the company.
For oil companies, the Gabon reshuffle leaves the same ministers in charge of licences, taxes and the planned levy on flared gas.
Gabon, the world’s second-largest manganese producer, supplied 63% of US manganese ore imports from 2020 to 2023, according to the US Geological Survey. Washington lists manganese as a critical mineral, and Gabon’s mines minister keeps his post.
The Gabon reshuffle does not change who runs the country. Power remains with Oligui Nguema, who decided the new line-up, according to Gabonreview.
What Is Not Known
The presidency has given no official reason for the Gabon reshuffle, and AGP noted only that the new team faces major challenges. The new list also drops the budget title of Marc Abeghe, the junior minister at the finance ministry.
Whether Abeghe still controls the budget is unclear, Gabonreview noted. It is also unclear when the gas-flaring tax will take effect or what rate companies will pay.
The cabinet communiqué gave neither, and Gabonreview wrote that both remain to be set in later legal texts, in its report on the tax.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Gabon reshuffle?
On Sunday 11 October, the presidency announced that five ministers were leaving and eight were joining. The new team has 32 members besides the vice-president of the government.
Who is Gabon’s new energy minister?
Olivier Mouckocko, a geologist who was director of infrastructure and equipment at Eramet Comilog Manganese. He replaces Philippe Tonangoye, whose time in office saw months of water shortages and power cuts.
Did Gabon change its oil or finance minister?
No. Clotaire Kondja stays at oil and gas, Thierry Minko at economy and finance, and Sosthène Nguema Nguema at mines.
Why does the Gabon reshuffle matter to US investors?
Houston-based VAALCO Energy, listed in New York, operates an offshore oil block in Gabon. The same oil and finance ministers stay in charge of licences, taxes and a planned tax on flared gas.
Who leads Gabon?
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who led an August 2023 coup and won the presidential election of 12 April 2025. Hermann Immongault coordinates the cabinet as vice-president of the government.
Sources: Presidency of Gabon, ‘Architecture du Gouvernement’ communiqué (via AGP), 11 October 2026; Gabonreview (reshuffle), 11 October 2026; Gabonreview (full government list), 11 October 2026; Agence Gabonaise de Presse (AGP), 11 October 2026; AGP (Olivier Mouckocko), 11 October 2026; Gabon Media Time (Philippe Tonangoye), 11 October 2026; Council of Ministers communiqué, via Gabon Media Time, 9 October 2026; Gabonreview (gas-flaring tax), 11 October 2026; Le360 Afrique (first government of the Fifth Republic), 5 May 2025; VAALCO Energy (Gabon operations), accessed 12 October 2026; US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Manganese, January 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief