Paul Biyoghé Mba

Paul Biyoghé Mba (born 18 April 1953) is a Gabonese politician who was Prime Minister of Gabon from July 2009 to February 2012. A member of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), he served for years as a minister in the government prior to his appointment as Prime Minister. From 2012 to 2015, he was President of the Economic and Social Council of Gabon, and he has again served in the government as First Deputy Prime Minister for Health since 2015.





== Background and political career ==

Biyoghé Mba was born in Donguila, located in the Komo-Mondah Department of Gabon. After studying business administration at the University of Rennes in France, he was Deputy Director of the Gabonese Development Bank, then Director of Credits at the Bank, from 1977 to 1980. Afterwards he was Adviser to the President of the Republic for Commercial, Industrial, and Investment Affairs from 1980 to 1983 and Political Adviser to the President from 1983 to 1984. He was subsequently appointed as Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the President for Economic, Financial, and Administrative Affairs in 1984. After President Omar Bongo visited the United States in August 1987 and met with representatives of various American companies, he selected Biyoghé Mba to head a program that would work with American companies to facilitate investment in Gabon. Biyoghé Mba continued to serve as Deputy Director of the Presidential Cabinet until he entered the government as Minister of Trade, Consumption, and the Transfer of Technology in 1989.

After winning a seat in the 1990 parliamentary election, Biyoghé Mba left the government and served as a Deputy in the National Assembly from 1990 to 1992.