World Bank resumes cooperation with Gabon after military coup

The World Bank has resumed cooperation with Gabon several months after freezing all financing projects in the central African country in a reaction to the military coup of August 30 following an electoral process deemed rigged by the military.
The Washington-based lender, local media ‘Gabon Review’ reports, notified the ministry of Finance and Economy in a letter dating back to December 11, of its satisfactions of various reforms carried by the junta-led Administration to reassure multilateral financial lenders.
The bank, subsequently to the letter, also sent a team to Libreville to train Gabonese officials on the new electronic disbursement circuits, the media also notes.
The incumbent leader of the African country Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema deposed longtime President Ali Bongo Odimba on August 30, following the announcement by the independent Electoral body of August 26 elections “making Ali Bongo winner of the presidential elections for another seven years in power” after ruling the country for 14 years.
Following the coup, several organizations suspended the country. The World Bank and several other financial lenders also put on hold their cooperation and financing projects in Gabon.
The World Bank’s decision to resume activities in Gabon comes one month after the African Development Bank (AfDB) also announced its return to the country.