Ali Bongo Ondimba

Football, like no other sport, creates a sense of unity, equality, and inclusion. All of these are at the heart of my vision for a changing Gabon.

We must be practical. Talking about trade and other nice things are more soothing to the ear than security. But it won't be until we have sufficient security against internal, regional, and continental threats that we can be sure of real development.

It's important to produce economic development. Fundamentalism develops even faster with misery.

In my country, Gabon, entry into the digital age, which is the future, can be seen in numerous sectors - from telecommunications to security, finance, and hospitality.

Those who were fortunate enough to have the support of their parents or the state must in turn be generous, in solidarity, especially in hard times.

Our elephants are under siege because of an illegal international market that has driven ivory prices in the region up significantly. I call upon the international community to join us in this fight.

As the leader of an oil-producing nation, I know how hard it can be to prioritize environmental issues, but the short-term risk to our economic security is far outweighed by the potential risk to our national and regional security.

Ever since I was defense minister, I have participated in global meetings on the issue of climate and security.

If every country's climate policy was driven purely by environmental science, we may have no need for international agreements.

As we look to the future, we cannot improve our living standards while simultaneously degrading the natural environment around us.