The post-Bongo Gabonese government

In the aftermath of the August 30, 2023 coup that saw the army remove the Bongo clan from power after more than 55 years of uninterrupted rule, Gabon entered a process of political transition. Marked by a dual commitment to institutional reform and the revitalization of the national economy, the gabonese transition is at the crossroads of two paths: a break with the rentier government inherited from independence to escape the ‘path of dependency,’ or the continuation of a dynamic of structural reforms and infrastructural investments to ensure a form of ‘conservative modernization,’ in the name of pragmatism and inclusion championed by the military since the transition. This article argues that the major challenge for the post-Bongo government is to develop a structured ideological platform to shift from a logic of volume (rent distribution) to a logic of value (guaranteeing social justice).