Commonwealth Secretary-General to make debut visit to Gabon

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, is set to make her first official visit to the Commonwealth’s newest member, Gabon, next week.

The Secretary-General will arrive in Libreville on 16 August and during her four-day visit, will meet the President of Gabon, H.E. Ali Bongo Ondimba, and other senior government officials.

The visit comes after Gabon was recently admitted as the Commonwealth’s 55^th member at the Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. The Secretary-General will thus use her maiden visit as an opportunity to establish the foundations of a new relationship between Gabon and the Commonwealth, understand the challenges of the country, and explore areas of mutual cooperation.

Speaking ahead of her visit, the Secretary-General said: “We were thrilled to welcome Gabon into the Commonwealth family at our Heads of Government Meeting in June. I am very much looking forward to my first visit to the country and meeting with leaders, ministers and officials.

“As a new Commonwealth member, this important visit will allow me to deepen engagement with the country and its people. It will also serve as a vital opportunity to discuss ways in which the Commonwealth Secretariat can serve and support the Government and people of Gabon in advancing our shared values and achieving our shared goals.”

The Secretary-General’s visit also coincides with the 62^nd Anniversary of the Independence of Gabon on 17 August and she will therefore take part in the official celebrations in Libreville.