Richard Auguste Onouviet
Richard Auguste Onouviet | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 14, 1949 Lambaréné, Gabon |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, banker |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | President of the National Assembly of Gabon (2016–2018) |
Richard Auguste Onouviet (born 14 June 1949) is a Gabonese political figure who held the position of President of the National Assembly of Gabon from 8 April 2016 until 30 April 2018. Throughout his career, he occupied several ministerial posts, including Minister of Water and the Environment (1999–2002), Minister of Mines, Energy, and Oil (2002–2007), Minister of Planning (2007–2009), and Minister of Decentralization and Urban Policy (2009). A longstanding member of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), Onouviet has served as a Deputy in the National Assembly since 2009.
Early administrative career
Originating from Lambaréné in northern Gabon, Onouviet pursued studies in philosophy and political science in France. Between 1976 and 1979, he was employed as a financial officer at the French firm Mokta. Subsequently, from 1979 to 1986, he held high-ranking positions within the Franceville Uranium Mines Company (Compagnie des mines d'uranium de Franceville, COMUF), culminating in his appointment as Deputy Director-General. He later assumed the role of Vice-President at the Energy and Water Company of Gabon (Société d'énergie et d'eau du Gabon, SEEG) from 1987 to 1990 and concurrently acted as Special Adviser to President Omar Bongo starting in 1987.
In 1990, Onouviet was named Director-General of the Gabonese Development Bank. By 1995, he announced an 18% rise in the bank’s profits for the year 1994, amounting to 2.64 billion CFA francs, indicating consistent financial progress under his management.
Government service and political career
Before his appointment as Minister of Water, Forests, Fisheries, and Reforestation on 25 January 1999, Onouviet led the Gabonese Development Bank as Director-General. By December of that year, his portfolio expanded to include Environment and Protection of Nature. In the parliamentary elections held in December 2001, he secured a seat in the National Assembly representing Lambaréné as a PDG candidate. Retaining his governmental role post-election, he was elevated on 27 January 2002 to Minister of Mines, Energy, Oil, and Hydraulic Resources—a promotion endorsed by Senate President Georges Rawiri.
During President Bongo’s November 2005 re-election campaign, Onouviet managed the commission responsible for liaising with economic stakeholders. In 2006, he led a faction supporting a Brazilian enterprise’s bid over a Chinese competitor to develop the strategically important Belinga iron ore deposits; nonetheless, the Chinese-backed group ultimately won control over these resources.
Onouviet secured re-election in the December 2006 legislative polls. After nearly six years overseeing Mines and Energy ministries, he transitioned to Minister of Planning and Development Programming in December 2007. However, following April 2008 local elections, he faced a six-month suspension from party duties due to his endorsement of candidates outside PDG ranks. In January 2009, he was appointed Minister of Decentralization and Urban Policy.
After President Bongo passed away in June 2009 and Ali Bongo Ondimba assumed office in August, Onouviet was dismissed from his ministerial role during an extensive government reshuffle in October despite demonstrating loyalty during Ali Bongo’s campaign. He returned to represent Lambaréné in the National Assembly and contributed locally by donating a dump truck aimed at improving sanitation efforts in January 2010.
Subsequently serving as First Vice-President of the National Assembly, Onouviet was elected its President on 8 April 2016 with substantial backing. Following unrest after the August 2016 elections that led to the National Assembly building being set on fire, he publicly lamented the disturbances.
On 30 April 2018, after parliamentary elections were not conducted under Prime Minister Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet’s administration, the Constitutional Court mandated Onouviet’s resignation, dissolved the National Assembly, and transferred legislative authority to the Senate.
In the aftermath of the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état, Onouviet was among prominent figures from the Bongo period detained by the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on charges including treason.