Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda (born 1964) is a

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

ese politician who is serving as

Prime Minister of Gabon The Prime Minister of Gabon (French: ''Premier ministre de la République gabonaise'') is the head of government of Gabon. The position was first created in 1960, upon the country's independence from France, but was soon abolished by a new con ...

since 16 July 2020, making her the first female prime minister of the country. She previously served as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Libreville Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inh ...

and later as the country's Defense Minister from February 2019 to July 2020.

Background

Raponda was born in 1964 in

. Raponda is a member of the

Mpongwe people The Mpongwe are an ethnic group in Gabon, notable as the earliest known dwellers around the estuary where Libreville is now located. History The Mpongwe language identifies them as a subgroup of the Myènè people of the Bantus, who are belie ...

. Raponda received a degree in economics and public finance from the Gabonese Institute of Economy and Finance.

Career

Raponda worked as Director General of the Economy and Deputy Director General the Housing Bank of Gabon. She served as minister of budget and public finance from February 2012 until January 2014. Raponda was elected Mayor of the capital city

on 26 January 2014, representing the ruling

Gabonese Democratic Party The Gabonese Democratic Party (french: Parti Démocratique Gabonais, abbreviated PDG), is the ruling and dominant political party of Gabon. Between 1968 and 1990 it was the sole legal party. History The party was established as the Gabonese Dem ...

. She was the first woman to hold the position since 1956 and she served until 2019. She also became President of

United Cities and Local Governments United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is an umbrella international organisation for cities, local and regional governments, and municipal associations throughout the world that is concerned with representing and defending the interests of ...

Africa. On 12 February 2019, Raponda was appointed as the Defense Minister of Gabon by president

Ali Bongo Ondimba Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959),"Bongo Ali", ''Gabon: Les hommes de pouvoir'', number 4Africa Intelligence 5 March 2002 . sometimes known as Ali Bongo, is a Gabonese politician who has been the third president of Ga ...

after the failed coup in January 2019. Raponda replaced Etienne Massard Kabinda Makaga, a member of the Bongo family, who had held the position since 2016. On 16 July 2020, Raponda was appointed as the

, after her predecessor

Julien Nkoghe Bekale Julien Nkoghe Bekale is a Gabonese politician who served as the prime minister of Gabon from 2019 to 2020. In the aftermath of the 2019 Gabonese coup d'état attempt, he was appointed prime minister by president Ali Bongo Ondimba on 12 January 201 ...

stepped down. She is the first woman to hold the position. Her appointment is the fourth cabinet shuffle by Ondimba since the failed coup. Her appointment comes during the dual health and economic crises due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the fall in the

price of oil The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crude, OPEC Ref ...

, one of the country's main resources.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raponda, Rose Christiane 1964 births Living people People from Libreville Mayors of places in Gabon Women mayors Gabonese Democratic Party politicians Women government ministers of Gabon Female defence ministers Prime Ministers of Gabon Defence ministers of Gabon Women prime ministers Female heads of government Finance ministers of Gabon Female finance ministers 21st-century Gabonese people