Sylvia Valentin Bongo Ondimba (born 11 March 1963) is the wife of

Ali Bongo Ondimba Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959),"Bongo Ali", ''Gabon: Les hommes de pouvoir'', number 4Africa Intelligence 5 March 2002 . sometimes known as Ali Bongo, is a Gabonese politician who has been the third president of Ga ...

since 1989. She became the

First Lady of Gabon First Lady or First Gentleman of Gabon is the title held by the spouse of the president of Gabon. The current first lady is Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, who has held the office since 2009. First ladies of Gabon References {{First Ladies and Gentl ...

following the inauguration of her husband as

President of Gabon The president of Gabon is the head of state of Gabon. A total of three people have served as president (not counting two acting presidents) since the post was formed in 1960. Description of the office Election The president of the republic is ...

on 16 October 2009.Sylvia Bongo Ondimba's biography
official website of president Ali Bongo Ondimba Georges Dougueli

''Jeune Afrique'', 21 October 2010 . She created the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation, "For the family", in January 2011 "to improve the plight of vulnerable and disadvantaged people around the world".
13 June 2011

Family background

Born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, Sylvia Valentin was barely two months old when her parents were transferred to

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the comm ...

for work. She is the daughter of Edouard Valentin (died 28 January 2019), a French businessman who headed the group called ''Omnium Gabonais d'Assurances et de Réassurances'' (OGAR, Gabonese Insurance and

Reinsurance Reinsurance is insurance that an insurance company purchases from another insurance company to insulate itself (at least in part) from the risk of a major claims event. With reinsurance, the company passes on ("cedes") some part of its own ins ...

).Biographie officielle de Sylvia Bongo Ondimba
disponible sur le site de la fondation Sylvia Bongo Ondimba "Pour la Famille" Edouard Valentin's wife, Evelyne Valentin, then became President Bongo Ondimba's secretary. Sylvia spent most of her childhood in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

along with her siblings, before the family took up residence in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. In 1974, after a long stay by the Valentin Family in Tunisia, Sylvia and her parents decided to move to

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

, where she received an academic and

Christian education Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the r ...

at the Libreville Immaculate Conception Institution. In 1988, Sylvia met Ali Bongo Ondimba and married him a year later, in 1989. They have three children: Noureddin Edouard, Jalil, and Bilal, adopted by the couple in 2002. Malika would be the president's first daughter from a previous relationship. On 16 October 2009, as Ali Bongo Ondimba was elected president, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba became Gabon's First Lady. Her grand-children are Elizabeth, Deborah and Dyah Bongo.

Education

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba graduated with an advanced-level degree (DESS) in

corporate management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

in France, and then decided to return to Gabon.

Career

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba was hired and promoted to the post of Deputy Managing Director of the country's largest real estate

firm A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

, ''Gabon Immobilier'', where she was named responsible for the company's marketing and

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals a ...

. In 1990, she created her own wealth management firm, ''Alliance S.A.'', at the age of 25.

The Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation

Actions: * The Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation gave rise to the project known as ''the caravan through Gabon's

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

'', whose mission was to record the grievances raised by residents of the country's more isolated areas. * The Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation adopted a

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual ma ...

to mark 23 June of each year as International Widows' Day, from a project initiated by Sylvia Bongo Ondimba herself. * In April 2011, the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation donated to the Gabonese population a total of 18,000 mosquito screens. Murielle Mendoua
"Sylvia Bongo Ondimba fait un don de plus de 18000 moustiquaires"
(27 April 2011) ''Allafrica'' * In October 2010, the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation donated 250

electric scooters Electric motorcycles and scooters are plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels. Power is supplied by a rechargeable battery which drives one or more electric motors. Electric scooters are distinguished from motorcycles by having a ...

crutches A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. History Crutc ...

and

wheelchairs A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries (paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebral ...

to benefit several disability assistance associations. * The Akassi microfinance project sponsored by the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation and intended to facilitate

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

among Gabonese women and their families."Visit by the First Lady of Gabon, Mrs Sylvia Bongo Ondimba"
''Singapore Council of Women's Organisations'' (SCWO)
(23 June 2011) ''Nation''

References

External links

*
Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bongo Ondimba, Sylvia 1963 births Living people People from Paris French emigrants to Gabon Gabonese people of French descent First ladies and gentlemen of Gabon 21st-century Gabonese people