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The Japan Times PUBDATE: 8/16/2009 PAGE: 5 C M Y K OUTPUT TIME: 16:5:16

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(3) THE JAPAN TIMES SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009 5

Gabon independence day

Foundations in place for

continued growth, progressSeiken SugiuraSECRETARY GENERAL, JAPAN-AFRICAN

UNION PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP

LEAGUE, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE

FOR GABON

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As secretary general of theJ apan-AfricanUnion Parlia-m e n t a r yF r i e n d s h i pLeague andchairman of theSubcommit t e efor Gabon, Iwould like to ex-press my heartfelt congratu-lations on the 49th NationalDay of Gabon.

Under the matchless lead-ership of late President ElHadj Omar Bongo Ondimbaand with the efforts of its peo-ple, Gabon has continued de-veloping without war or con-

flict since its independence.Recalling my visit to Gabon in2006, when I was minister ofjustice, I clearly rememberthe magnificent nature, thekindness of the people and thecandid exchange of views Ihad with President Bongo.This is why the loss of the pres-ident is all the more sorrowfulto me. On July 16, I attendedhis state funeral as a specialenvoy, and today I would liketo repeat my sincere condo-lences to the nation and thepeople of Gabon.

Anticipating the successfulpresidential election Aug. 30,and expecting the people’spower to drive the country’sdevelopment, I again pledgemyself to contribute towardthe further strengthened rela-tions between Japan and Ga-bon.

2009: a year of challenges and hope for GabonJean-Christian ObameAMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY

AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF GABON

TO JAPAN

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On Aug. 17, we celebrate the49th anniversary of Gabon asa sovereign country. On thisauspicious oc-casion, it givesme again greatpleasure to ad-dress the read-ers of The Ja-pan Times andconvey, on be-half of the in-terim president of the Gabo-nese Republic, H.E. RoseFrancine Rogombe, mem-bers of the transitional gov-ernment and the Gabonesepeople, our best wishes forpeace, good health and pros-perity to Their Imperial Maj-esties Emperor Akihito andEmpress Michiko, as well asto the rest of the Imperialhousehold. We also wish toextend our warm greetings tothe Japanese authorities andthe friendly people of Japan.

Similarly, our heartfeltgreetings go to the smallcommunity of fellow Gabo-nese citizens, namely, stu-dents in Japan, as well as tothe officials and manyfriends of Gabon in Indonesiaand Malaysia, countries thatbelong to our diplomatic con-stituency.

Developments, prospectsSince my last message in

The Japan Times and partic-ularly since the first half ofthis year, Gabon has gonethrough a difficult and chal-lenging period with the sud-den loss of the presidentialcouple. On March 14, first la-dy Edith Lucie Bongo Ondim-ba passed away in Morocco,followed less than threemonths later, on June 8, bythe death of H.E. El HadjOmar Bongo Ondimba in aSpanish hospital, where he

was receiving treatment.These unexpected circum-stances not only put Gabon inthe spotlight but also createdchallenges for a country thathad experienced more thanfour decades of peace andstability under the leadershipof President Bongo.

The first challenge is thetransitional political periodup to the next presidentialelection. Based on the GabonConstitution, the vacancy ofpower was filled by the presi-dent of the Senate, RoseFrancine Rogombe, who wassworn in June 9 to succeedPresident Bongo. Her maintask in taking over was to or-ganize the presidential elec-tion within 45 days and the po-litical forces in Gabon haveagreed that it should be heldAug. 30. Twenty-three candi-dates, including for the firsttime three female candi-dates, will be competing forthe highest post. The politicalcampaign for the presiden-tial election, in which Gabo-nese voters, including thosein Japan, will participate,started Aug. 15 for a two-week period.

According to the NationalElectoral Commission incharge of organizing the elec-tion, all technical require-ments have been fulfilled toensure a free, fair and trans-parent election, which natu-rally international observersand friends of Gabon are cor-dially invited to monitor. Thehope of all Gabonese is thatthis presidential election willbe a peaceful one and consoli-date the democratic processin Gabon.

The second challenge is tocope with the aftermath ofthe presidential election, andthe need to implement an eco-nomic and social program,which has raised very highexpectations from the popu-lation. Indeed, the next presi-dent would have to set priori-

ties in various sectors al-ready identified.

Within the context of theongoing global economic andfinancial crisis, boosting eco-nomic growth will remain atthe top of the list of those pri-orities. In this regard, mostof the presidential candi-dates have announced thatthey will put emphasis on re-vitalizing areas such as agri-culture for improving foodsecurity and limiting food im-ports, timber processing forinducing more value added,oil, gas and gas processing in-

dustries, and above all, infra-structure projects, which areconsidered to be the key ele-ments for boosting privatesector-led economic growth,promoting services, expand-ing small and medium-sizeenterprises, creating em-ployment and reducing pov-erty among others.

It should be recalled thatGabon needs all kind of infra-structure, including in par-ticular paved and feederroads across the country, aswell as technologies in re-newable energy and ICTs forpositioning Gabon as a finan-cial hub in Central Africa.Education and health are al-so at the top of the list of pri-orities being envisaged bymost of the candidates. Thesetwo sectors require new vi-sion, investment and part-nership to make them more

in line with the economic de-velopment requirements ofthe nation.

The third challenge is forGabon to take advantage ofits exceptional flora and fau-na. By devoting 11 percent ofits territory to the creation ofnational parks, Gabon hasnot only decided to forcefullyimplement a national strate-gy for environmental conser-vation but also is generouslywilling to share with the restof humanity the richness ofits biodiversity. As such,Lope National Park, which is

a UNESCO World Heritagesite, along with other parksand protected areas are trulymaking Gabon the ‘‘Mecca ofNature’’ for ecotourism.

As a reminder, let me re-call here that Gabon is cov-ered with a well-preservedequatorial forest belonging tothe well-known Congo Basinand bordered by more than850 km of coasts along the At-lantic Ocean. This land hasfor centuries been heaven fora diversified fauna, includingmore than a thousand birdspecies, the famous round-eared Assala elephants, treegorillas, chimpanzees, vari-ous monkeys, crocodiles, seaturtles, abundant fish andeven whales. The flora isequally rich, with, for in-stance, more than 400 differ-ent species of trees and vari-ous types of naturally grown

orchids.For all these, Gabon needs

t o b e a destination on themaps of Japanese tourists.

The next JATA World Fairin September 2009 in Tokyowill provide us with an oppor-tunity to promote ecotourismin Gabon. The poster belowshows the main tourist at-tractions in Gabon. For moreinformation, please contactus and visit our Web site:www.Gabonembassy-tokyo.org

Cooperation with JapanFor about four decades,

Gabon and Japan have man-aged to forge a successfulfriendship and partnership.The strength of their bondslies in mutual respect and ashared vision of internationalissues, including economiccooperation, peace, humanrights and the environment.

Indeed, there are many as-sets for establishing a solidpartnership with Gabon:first, a stable political anddemocratic environment cre-ated over years; and second,investment opportunities inseveral sectors, includingmining, oil, gas, timber andecotourism. Again, it shouldbe recalled that Gabon since2002 has launched 13 nationalparks aimed at preservingand protecting the very rarenatural heritage of our plan-et. This is a legacy from thelate President Bongo, whichneeds to be pursued.

In the area of trade and in-vestment, relationships haveover the years shown a grow-ing trend, thus confirmingtheir complementary aspectsand mutual interests on bothsides. As a reminder, Gabon’sexports to Japan includecrude oil, manganese, timberand fish while Japanese ex-ports to Gabon include gener-ally cars, electronics andheavy equipment.

Strengthening the partner-ship through foreign directinvestment from Japan toGabon could increase tradefurther. In that context, com-panies such as Mitsubishi Pe-

troleum Development Corp.,which has established a rep-resentative branch in Gabon,is engaged on a larger scalein oil exploration and devel-opment. Another company,ERAMET-Japan, is intensi-fying its manganese activi-ties in Gabon with the upcom-ing investment in a metallur-gy processing plant that willcreate employment and morevalue added in the miningsector. Finally, it should bealso recalled that most Japa-nese carmakers are well rep-resented in Gabon as well ascompanies such as Komatsufor heavy equipment.

In the area of cultural ex-changes, Gabon highly val-ues the ongoing technical co-operation with Japanese gov-ernment agencies, namely,JICA and the Overseas Fish-eries Cooperation Founda-tion. The Gabonese authori-ties would like to stress onceagain that this exemplary co-operation, which is produc-ing tangible results in main-

taining and building fishingcenters in Gabon, should beexpanded to other vital sec-tors such as education, healthand the environment. Inthese, it should be recalledthat Gabon benefits from theJICA’s Young VolunteersProgram. Currently, 24 vol-unteers work in Gabon in var-ious fields such as heath care,education, fisheries and theenvironment. Also, last yearin Libreville on the occasionof the TICAD IV Ministerial

Preparatory Meeting, a‘‘Technical CooperationAgreement’’ was signed byour two countries. Thisagreement is expected to ex-pand the partnership be-tween Gabon and Japanthrough the JICA’s SeniorVolunteers Program, partic-ularly in the areas of train-ing, design, and implement-ing development projects invital sectors such as infra-structure, agriculture andthe environment.

Gabon a leading playerin African developmentTadahiko ItoFORMER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE

OF REPRESENTATIVES

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I would like to extend mywarmest congratulations tothe people of Gabon on the 49thanniversary ofthe republic’sindependence.

After the re-cent and sud-den loss ofP r e s i d e n tOmar Bongo,the father ofGabon’s independence, it i s areal sadness that he cannotcelebrate this memorial daywith his big family once more.I believe, however, that thelate president will be watchingover his nation, which willprosper in the 21st century, thetime of Africa’s genuine devel-

opment.Indeed, I am not able to ful-

ly express my feelings of cele-bration to the Republic of Ga-bon, endowed with energy re-sources and virgin nature,which are Gabon’s heritageand challenge, and are goingto be the country’s assets inthe international community.

With regard to the rela-tions with my country, what Ihope for most is a better air-line connection between Ja-pan and Gabon, and a freer,more active exchange of peo-ple, materials, information,etc.

The future of our two coun-tries rests on the shoulders oftheir people. I sincerely counton the efforts of as many ac-tors as there may be, from Mo-toi Kato, ambassador of Japanto Gabon, on down.

Official welcome: Interim President of Gabon H.E. Rose Francine Rogombe (third from left),Japan’s Ambassador to Gabon H.E. Motoi Kato (second from left) and Gabon’s Ambassador toJapan H.E. Jean-Christian Obame (second from right) pose with JICA Young Volunteers at aceremony at the presidential office in the Gabon capital Libreville on July 27.

For about four decades, Gabon and Japan havemanaged to forge a successful friendship andpartnership. The strength of their bonds lies inmutual respect, and a shared vision ofinternational issues, including economiccooperation, peace, human rights and theenvironment. Indeed, there are many assets forestablishing a solid partnership with Gabon.