#Gabon: General Debate of the United Nations: the business environment seen by Ali Bongo

 

In his speech at the general debate of the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations, September 25, the President said that transparency, the formation of a skilled workforce, building modern infrastructure and access to digital and energy are prerequisites for investment and hence economic development.

Speaking on 25 September, during the general debate opened yesterday as part of the 69th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the President wished to draw the attention of his peers on several issues compared with the involvement of the international community in security, and health issues related to diet.

Calling for the diversification of the economic base, Ali Bongo said he was "deeply convinced that to give a solid foundation for our post-2015 agenda, we need to shape our economic environment so that transparency guide the allocation of public contracts and permit the return on investment, but also respect for the obligations of economic operators vis-à-vis the state. ".

According to him, the goal now is to "enhance employability to provide a skilled workforce in the labor market work and accelerate the integration of young people into the workforce." For, he has argued, that "in the short term (the Gabon plans) to make additional efforts in education and training in order to improve the performance of the basic education system." A more legitimate ambition that human capital formation, construction and upgrading of infrastructure, including the development of digital technology and the increase in energy capacity, are key competitive factors. Or has he supported "the strategy implemented by the Gabon aims to accelerate the structural transformation of its economy by the way, in the near future, a cash economy to an economy of industries and services with high added value. "

Wanting pragmatic and carrying a holistic vision, the president addressed the issue of food security, suggesting that either now established a "link between human rights and sustainable development." For him, the establishment of institutional instruments such as the National Council of good governance and the National Commission for the fight against illicit enrichment (CNLCEI) part of this logic. "All (our) efforts can truly thrive in a political, economic and social environment where good governance," he argued, acknowledging in passing that more needs to be done, particularly in terms of involvement of national and local PME in the implementation of public policies related to food security. "The development of agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, including food security, continues to receive sustained attention from my government," he said.

On a completely different note, Ali Bongo said he was concerned about "serious threats to peace and international security" that the nations of the world face for several years, he felt that "never has the terrorist threat as strong as in recent times, jeopardizing the survival of the institutions of the countries affected by this terrible phenomenon. ""In Africa, activism Boko Haram pushes entire populations to live away from their original homes in terror, insecurity and despair," said he regretted, adding, "There are point of religious terrorism. There are point of fundamentalist terrorism. Terrorism must be fought with fierce determination, because we can not tolerate violent extremism. We must do everything so that terrorism does not give credit to any idea of ​​a struggle of civilizations or religions. (...) To meet the security challenge it represents, we need to strengthen the operational capacity of our defense forces and security in accordance with the spirit of the Global Counter-United Nations ". In the process, he heckled assistance on the health situation on the continent, emphasizing the emergence of Ebola virus in West Africa and the threat it poses to other African countries, especially those where tensions are still visible as the Central African Republic, Mali and south Sudan.


                                                                               Gabonreview, September 26, 2014