Ongoing National Inclusive Dialogue to Lay “foundations for Gabon of tomorrow”: Catholic Archbishop

CTRI spokesman, Col. Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, announced the choice of the Gabonese Catholic Church leader on 14 November 2023. As Chair of the National Inclusive Dialogue, Archbishop Iba-Ba was mandated to reach out to the people of God in Gabon for input that would serve as a basis for the April 2024 national dialogue.

The establishment of CTRI followed the reportedly “calm” 30 August 2023 military coup in Gabon that ousted President Ali Bongo from power, shortly after he had been declared winner of the 26 August 2023 presidential election. 

Named leader of the transition, General Brice Oligui Nguema was sworn in at the presidential palace in the capital, Libreville, on 4 September 2023, with army officials and representatives of religious leaders in attendance, including Archbishop Iba-Ba.

In his address during the April 2 launch of the National Inclusive Dialogue, Archbishop Iba-Ba said that the delegates will be examining “some 50,000 suggestions on how to make Gabon a better place to live.”

They will also propose the political, economic, and social organization of the Central African nation after the transition, he added.

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The Catholic Church leader went on to call upon the delegates to put aside their personal interests and “embrace the logic of inclusion, so that this Dialogue can serve as the foundation for a process of genuine reconciliation.”

“We must not give in to the temptation of incrimination or vengeance,” the Gabonese Catholic Archbishop, who will turn 68 on April 18 said.

The month-long National Inclusive Dialogue, Archbishop Iba-Ba further said, is a “historic opportunity to bequeath to posterity a fairer, more fraternal and prosperous Gabon.”

“Today we are called upon to participate in the writing of our common history, without exclusion of any kind. At the end of this Dialogue, only the people will emerge victorious for a Gabon endowed with a new social contract imbued with justice, peace and progress,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 2018 as Bishop of Gabon’s Franceville Diocese and elevated to Archbishop following his March 2020 appointment continued emphasized the need for optimism as the National Inclusive Dialogue gets underway.

“Let us enter resolutely into the hope of a new Gabon, a better Gabon for all,” he said, and implored, “May God’s spirit enlighten our minds; may He renew in us his gifts of science and wisdom; may God bless the work, Gabon and all its inhabitants.”

Although CTRI proposed August 2025 as the date of the presidential poll, and the Council of Ministers adopted the proposal, members of the CTRI have reportedly observed that it is up to the people of God in Gabon to decide on the feasibility of this timetable.

In his address during the event, the Transitional President Nguema called upon the Catholic Archbishop Iba-Ba-led National Inclusive Dialogue delegates to come up with a “roadmap that will determine the duration of the transitional government.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.