Gabon appoints 1st ever female prime minister

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) - President of Gabon Ali Bongo on Thursday appointed Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda the country's first ever female prime minister, according to a statement read by the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic Yves Teale.

Ossouka Raponda, 56, replaced Julien Nkoghe Bekale, who has been in office since January 2019.

Since February 2019, Ossouka Raponda served as the defense minister. Previously, she was also the first woman to be elected mayor of the capital Libreville in 2014.

Teale said Bongo has instructed Ossouka Raponda to form a new government.

Her appointment comes at a time when Gabon is facing health crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with an economic crisis linked to drops in oil prices, one of the main resources in the Central African country.