It will now be part of big discussions and a mutually supportive community of independent and sovereign states

In Summary 

• Gabon became the 55th member of the Commonwealth on 25 June 2022 following approval from Commonwealth leaders during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. 
• Prior to this, Rwanda was the last country to join the Commonwealth in 2009. 

The flag of Gabon was on Tuesday raised at the Commonwealth Headquarters at Marlborough House in the UK for the first time in a special ceremony marking the country’s entry into the Commonwealth. 

Gabon became the 55th member of the Commonwealth on 25 June 2022 following approval from Commonwealth leaders during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. 

“It is a great day for Gabon and a great day for the Commonwealth. A day that signifies the strengthening of the relationship between the Francophone and Anglophone families across the world,” Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland said.

Scotland and Gabon President Ali Bongo led the flag-raising ceremony formally welcoming the Commonwealth’s newest member.

“Today, we welcome you into our family home, where we work every day to deepen our togetherness and strive for that invincibility. Welcome to a unique and special group of nations that are committed to doing their best to uphold shared values and help one another. God bless Gabon and God bless the Commonwealth,” Scotland said.

During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, leaders accepted applications by Gabon and Togo to join the Commonwealth, becoming its 55th and 56th members respectively.

Prior to this, Rwanda was the last country to join the Commonwealth in 2009.

“It is a real pleasure to welcome you all on this important day for my country, the Gabonese Republic, as we symbolically raise the “Vert – Jaune – Bleu”, the Green – Yellow and Blue colors of the Gabonese Nation here at the Commonwealth Secretariat for the first time,” Bongo said.

“In a world full of uncertainties, mostly created by humanity’s excesses and greed, we believe strongly that the Commonwealth family of nations is a unique and varied community of countries that share common values and whose diversity represents a formidable melting pot of ideas and solutions,” he added.

Gabon will now have the opportunity to be part of big discussions and a mutually supportive community of 56 independent and sovereign states.

It will receive help from more than 80 accredited organizations and more than 50 strategic partnerships with organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization.

By joining the Commonwealth, Gabon’s Embassy in London now officially becomes a High Commission, with H.E. Aicha Sanni serving as High Commissioner.