Gabon takes leadership of ECCAS

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba took on Saturday the leadership of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a regional organization promoting regional economic cooperation in Central Africa.

The ECCAS held its 22nd summit in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Bongo takes over from DRC leader Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo and will lead the organization for a one-year mandate. He is expected to work on ways to finance the organization and to preserve forests in the region.

Gabon will host early next month One Forest Summit, an international conference aiming at advancing knowledge and promoting scientific cooperation on forest ecosystems, and fostering sustainable value chains in the forestry sector.

Founded in 1983, the ECCAS’s headquarters are located in Gabon’s capital, Libreville. The organization acquired the status of Commission in December 2019 in order to implement its activities with greater efficiency in the face of the challenges of the region and thus meet the hopes of a very young population who sees the success of its future in regional integration.