His arrival in Gabon at the age of 21, his atypical career path, and the epic tale of the Sogafric group.
Christian Kerangall, the man described as Gabon’s richest man and Central Africa’s third richest man, reveals an entire chapter of Gabon’s economic and political history by frankly discussing the secrets of his success.
For the first time in his 50-year career, the country’s most discreet and (arguably) most influential boss, known for his outspokenness and affection for journalists, is revealed.
L’Union (Newspaper): Mr. Christian Kérangall, you are presented as a discreet, demanding, hard-working and somewhat authoritarian figure. What can suddenly justify this entire aspect of your life that you reveal with often shocking (and juicy for journalists) revelations about the economic and political history of Gabon in the book you have just published?
Christian Kerangall: Thank you for interviewing me following the publication of my memoir. I am indeed discreet, even secretive, but for a good cause, that of modesty and the non-personalization of my functions and actions. I am 73 years old, and I have been observing the world in which we live for over 60 years. I have also been building my life for over fifty years without informing those close to me of what I believe in and what I dedicate my life to. I have been present in Gabon for over fifty years, for better or for worse, as they say. I almost died from lung cancer in 2013, without leaving a note on the door for future generations, whether they be family, professional, or even national and institutional. I felt it was a final universal duty to pass on my feelings about things I have actually experienced. Above all, to try to understand why we are leaving a very troubled world, when we had the complete freedom to do much better. Finally, and above all, to try to appreciate how we can hope for tomorrow by correcting our mistakes of the past……
L’Union (Newspaper): Isn’t this a kind of testament?
Christian Kerangall: You say that I make « shattering revelations, juicy for economic and political history. » You’re clearly a professional journalist who loves a scoop. In my book, I only talk about things that I’ve personally experienced and observed in my daily life. It’s true that my daily life has been somewhat exceptional. The fact that we can talk about it together today clearly shows that you, like me, shouldn’t feel guilty about talking about our country from the inside out. You’ve noticed that I’ve been in long phases of analysis… 25 years per cycle for the economy, 11 years for politics. I’ve tried to look at the clock and not at my watch. I’ve been reading your Makaya and Lybek’s drawings in L’Union for over 40 years, and you’ve revealed every aspect of our life in society « since… since, » as we say. If only 10% of Makaya’s observations had been followed, our society would be profoundly changed. The advantage in our country is that each of us is completely naked in front of others. In writing my book, I wanted to complement my current nakedness with that of my past life to show younger generations that I am neither a graduate of the École Polytechnique (École Polytechnique) nor a graduate of the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). My parents weren’t billionaires, so I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and my education was limited. But through work, through lifelong learning, through encounters with exceptional friends, especially fellow Gabonese citizens, and with passion in my guts, one could rise above the rest and live a chosen destiny.
L’Union (Newspaper): Reading your book, we discover that you arrived in Gabon on January 3, 1970, at the age of 21, with the equivalent to 150,000 CFA francs today.
L’Union (Newspaper): How do you assess your journey today? L’Union: What is your proudest achievement after more than half a century in business?
Christian Kerangall: (Laughs…). You’re doing like Forbes magazine, you’re exaggerating my initial capital… It wasn’t 150,000 CFA at the time, but only 49,000 CFA. Thanks to the « Good for » bonuses, I was able to complete my first month of service. My journey? I’m just a passenger who tried to best serve the entities entrusted to him by his peers. My proudest achievement? Having participated in the development or creation of sustainable companies, Sogafric, 67 years old, BGFI over 50 years old, as well as all their subsidiaries and, above all, after retiring from daily life, being able to see them continue to live with strength and vigor. Obviously, I cannot forget that having participated in the successful organization of two African Cup of Nations soccer tournaments in Gabon is my final achievement. I am very sensitive to our individual societal responsibility to perpetuate things beyond ourselves. This is a bit of the message of my book for our younger generations and our country too… …
L’Union (Newspaper): Based on your long experience in Gabon, you say, and I quote: « The obstacles and obstacles to emergence have cultural causes. » What do you mean by that?
Christian Kerangall: I’ve already spoken extensively about the Chief’s environment above. The musketeers must serve him, and the country, not fight among themselves. We have lost our sense of the collective good, of teamwork, of values. Politics and the miang are essentially responsible for this. We are also torn between several institutional models that do not necessarily reflect our cultures. We must collectively design an institutional model that corresponds to our ways of living together. But for that, we must do it all together. Without wanting at all costs, and often due to external pressure, to adopt a hybrid of our own ideas.
L’Union (Newspaper): Your verdict on the Bongo years is uncompromising: « From 1998 to 2009, Omar failed to bring Gabon to life. From 2009 to 2020, Ali did no better. With the current parameters, if nothing changes, the future risks being more of the same. » In your opinion, what needs to change in the country’s current governance to hope for a real economic takeoff?
Christian Kerangall: A hard-hitting verdict perhaps, but one with a deep and strong conviction, after my experience as High Commissioner. Having spoken about it at length above, it is not our two presidents who are being accused, but the reasons why they cannot succeed in getting the country off the ground. I can already see you getting nervous because I speak frankly about our highest authorities (Laughter). It is my duty of loyalty to our country. Don’t forget, in my book, my well-reasoned admiration for Omar. It is necessary, I repeat, that the musketeers apply the unfailing leader’s desire to succeed, not fight among themselves, and that we all believe in the possibility of building collective happiness by all participating individually. My deep conviction, here too, is that it is possible. I know what Omar Bongo ONDIMBA wanted to do in 1998, I know what Ali Bongo ONDIMBA wanted to do in 2009, I know what we have not been able to achieve for nearly 25 years. I know what we want and can do together to transform the country in 25 years. But I will stop there because I am beginning to sound like a political tribune. Which is far from my intentions. On the other hand, I will always be available to participate in a committee of wise men, representative of 80% of our population, and to be a « doungourou » for our future happiness.
L’Union (Newspaper): Through your former role within the Gabonese employers’ organization, you are a central figure in understanding the economic issues between Gabon and its various economic partners. What are your thoughts on the economic relations between Gabon and China? Will Gabon’s indebtedness to this Asian giant one day be detrimental to the country’s economic future?
Christian Kerangall: Two questions in one: China and debt. Gabon’s opening up to other actors is a good thing. But like all countries, each has its own interests in mind. And that’s human, logical, and normal. It’s up to us to present all our partners with the skills that will defend our country’s interests. As for debt, it takes two to have a debt: a lender and a borrower. The danger that emerges from your question is this: don’t the conditions under which we obtained loans for average-quality projects and the ease with which they are acquired compromise the reality of the value of these investments and our future dependence on this debt? We have senior government officials who are capable of assessing this, provided they are free to make their own judgments. The Sogafric group is entering its third generation with the passing of the baton to your offspring and to those of the founders and historical partners.
L’Union (Newspaper): What do you say to those who say that Sogafric is purely a family affair, with governance reserved for « daddy’s boys »? Can France, your country of origin, sustainably maintain its economic interests in Gabon?
Christian Kerangall: Very good question. You’ll see that you’re raising some serious issues here: the social responsibility of business sustainability, the harmonious renewal of generations, and very long-term industrial strategies. I’m not the son of the founder, Robert Boutonnet, and Romain Boutonnet, who replaced me, isn’t mine. However, we are a group of entrepreneurial families, far from the image of a family business. There were five families and 14 children at the beginning. Only three children joined us in the third generation. We had extreme demands for them to succeed us. They had to pursue higher education, sell themselves elsewhere, speak several languages, love Gabon and Africa, and, last but not least, respect what we did there before them. If that’s what it means to be a daddy’s boy, I agree. But I don’t think you use it in that sense (laughter). I’ll also ask you a question: since independence 62 years ago, which Gabonese entrepreneurs have built a national, or even continental, destiny? Aside from Henri-Claude Oyima at BGFI, Jean-Bernard Boumah at Ceca-Gadis, and a few others, I see fewer than 10 significant players. The reasons for this situation are almost the same as those blocking our societal destiny. As for the last part of your question, I believe in a return of France and, above all, of Europe in the years to come. Just because we have left the intimacy of the bedroom for the living room does not mean that our destinies are not linked.
L’Union (Newspaper): Your tremendous business success, with your stakes in major companies through Compagnie du Komo, places you, according to a ranking established by Forbes Africa magazine in 2019, as the richest person in Gabon and the third richest person in Central Africa. What do you say about these references to your personal wealth? What do you mean by describing yourself in your book as the freest man in Gabon?
Christian Kerangall: I think you’re referring to Forbes magazine, which still hasn’t responded to my lawyer’s request for sources for its article. My main personal assets are known and visible: 40% of Sogafric and less than 5% of BGFI. Oh yes, I forgot my villa where I live. But I am the richest man in Gabon. But not in the material wealth you mention. I have my story, my close friends, my freedom of speech there. Nothing stopped me from doing what I did there. Everything will remain there after my departure, as did the group’s founder, the late Robert Boutonnet… the businesses, the industrial buildings, jobs, etc. Wealth is like one’s life or one’s faith, it’s what one does with it that is important. I am the freest because I have none of the constraints that my Gabonese compatriots, brothers and friends experience on a daily basis. You know them too, I won’t dwell on them because they contribute to the obstacles you mentioned above.
L’Union (Newspaper): What do you want posterity to remember about Mr. Christian Kerangall?
Christian Kerangall: Posterity is a very big word, however it goes well with sustainability. I therefore hope that posterity will remember that I did my utmost to make our country a country of happiness, but that like Omar and Ali, I struggled, but that with our past experiences and an objective analysis of our strengths and weaknesses, plus a collective awareness we will succeed together. I insist, we all know each other and if 80% mobilize, anything is possible. There will always be 20% of people who are for what they oppose, and against what they are for.
Sources:
Interview by Lin-Joël NDEMBET and Maxime Serge MIHINDOU; Libreville/Gabon, Website union.sonapresse
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