President Ali Bongo of Gabon has met with the President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Raúl Castro Ruz. Bongo arrived Cuba since on Thursday and has held talks with the Cuban head of state at the Palais de la Revolution.

Both leaders have reportedly highlighted the intensity of the ties of cooperation and friendship that unites the two nations with fifteen multisectoral agreements forged over more than forty years of diplomatic relations. Ali Bongo was also received by the president of the National Assembly, Estéban Lazo Hernandez.

Gabon and Cuba have signed an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of studies, qualifications and diplomas in higher education confirming the shared ambition to amplify a partnership strategy largely focused on Medical training (250 places for Gabonese students in Cuban universities), the support of a brigade of Cuban doctors in Gabon and the assessment of the needs of specialized practitioners for the major university hospitals.

Recognized internationally, Cuba’s medical and health expertise naturally finds its place in the implementation of the National Health Development Plan 2017-2021 proposed by the Minister of Public Health and Population, Léon Nzouba, who accompanied Ali Bongo to Cuba. The discussions with the Cuban authorities will also open up new avenues for cooperation in the areas of trade, with the holding of a Gabon-Cuba economic forum, agriculture, sport and tourism.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Intelligence Report