Former Defense Minister Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda has been promoted to prime minister, making her the first woman to hold the role in Gabon's history.

Togo Election: Togolese in Lagos call for the entrenchment of democracy

Since April, Gabon has been under a health state of emergency. The Central African country is facing a major economic hit as a result of Covid-19 lockdown measures and the fall in oil prices. The scars from this unprecedented crisis could remain on Port-Gentil, its oil capital, for a while. Businesses, shops, transport, tourism and other sectors in the country's economic hub are all struggling. Port Gentil has lost millions of euros over the last six months and is relying on public investment to survive. Our team reports.

The mats are falling apart, the safety ropes have snapped and the acrobatic nets are long gone. Gabon's only circus troupe -- and its only circus school -- is facing ruin. Demand for circus shows was dwindling even before the pandemic hit, a disaster that has cemented the troupe's problems.

Dozens of children live and work in sweltering heat in the Mindoube landfill in the Gabonese capital Libreville, searching for copper or aluminium items they can then resell. In Gabon, one of Africa's largest oil producers and one of the richest per capita in the region, one-third of the population lived below the poverty line in 2017, says the World Bank. "There are a lot of children here who...spend all their time in the landfill," says an activist.

In this edition, hundreds of Gabonese peacekeepers are being withdrawn from CAR following the latest sex abuse allegations. Gabon says that the most recent accusation is exceptionally serious. Also, dozens of civic groups in Uganda have been suspended. Many human rights workers say it is part of a pattern of repression. And, South Africa’s largest rhino breeder is pushing to sell horns he trims legally off his animals to keep poachers at bay.

In Togo, a young lady is one of the few women to work as a motorcycle cab driver. She is facing gender stereotypes and dangerous traffic. But nothing will stop her to fight for her dream.

Leading Gabon football coach accused of raping young players, president demands probe. A former coach for Gabon's under-17 football team, Patrick Assoumou Eyi, sexually abused young players in his care, according to a report on Thursday in British daily The Guardian.

More than a hundred jihadists surrender to the Nigerian army. Also, as the excitement of the Africa Cup of Nations winds down in Cameroon, Gabon is left with abandoned stadiums from its own tournament in 2017. And a 92-year-old Malawian singer becomes a TikTok sensation, which leads him to celebrating his birthday with the president.

For the ninth edition of FIMO228, Togo's international fashion festival, the event's founder Jacques Logoh is training the spotlight on a diverse cast of models. Larissa Solim Amelete, the face of this year's event, has succeeded in getting her family to support her modelling career, while Cathy Crussy, a TV producer, is in her 50s. Then there's Rebecca Attiogbé, who drives a forklift truck for a day job, and Alex Sef, the androgynous muse for Ethiopian label Afropian this season. FRANCE 24 went to meet them.

The 9th edition of FIMO, Togo's international fashion festival, didn’t open with a series of fashion shows, but instead with a science symposium organised by the University of Lomé. The theme of the discussion: how to pursue ethical fashion production while Africa continues to be the recipient of thousands of tonnes of the rest of the world’s unsold merchandise? And how to make the most of the rich pool of African design talent? We get some insightful answers from designers, fashion students and academics.

Rwanda is gearing up host the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from June 20-25 in the capital Kigali. The East African country, which has dropped French in favour of English in schools, wants to use the summit to promote its tourism and hospitality sector. But NGOs that are highly critical of Rwanda's human rights record hope to put this aspect in the spotlight during the event. Our correspondents report.