Gabonese consumers seek framework after social media blockade lifted
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Agpgabon
The Gabonese Consumers’ Organisation, chaired by Ibrahim Tsendjiet Mboulou, has welcomed the restoration of access to social media and called for a lasting dialogue framework with the authorities. Its president said the restrictions had highlighted the importance of protecting consumer rights, according to AGP.
The Gabonese Consumers’ Organisation (OGC) is calling on Gabonese authorities to establish a “clear, structured and lasting” framework for collaboration with consumer protection organisations, its president Ibrahim Tsendjiet Mboulou said on Sunday, according to the Gabonese Press Agency (AGP). The arrangement should enable them to alert, protect and defend citizens when their rights are threatened.
Ibrahim Tsendjiet Mboulou welcomed the lifting of the suspension of social media with “relief and responsibility”, saying that access to information was a fundamental right necessary for transparency and citizen participation. The OGC plans to continue its activities on the platforms now accessible in order to represent consumers’ interests there, according to AGP.
The call comes after the restoration of access to social media by Gabon’s High Authority, announced on 24 October, and the lifting of the social media blockade after nine months of restrictions. The OGC’s statement was made on 25 October, amid a debate in Gabon about access to information and civil society participation.
