Gabon (GA)

1. Language information / Données sur les langues

1.1 Languages spoken / Langues parlées

a) Official / Officielle(s) :

French / Français

b) National, indigenous / Nationale(s), indigène(s) :

"National languages" as a category are recognized.

Some forty languages are spoken. Ethnologue has an extensive list at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GA

c) Relevant pages in the Major Languages section of this report / Pages appropriées dans la section de ce rapport sur les Langues principales :

Beti (Fang)

1.2 Language policy / Politique de langue

a) Laws/legislation / Lois/législation :

The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on Gabon at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/gabon.htm

b) Agencies / Agences :

Faculté des Lettres Universite du Gabon
B.P. 13131 - LIBREVILLE
(Source: UNESCO, 1985)

The interAfrican organisation, CICIBA (le Centre international des civilisations bantu) is based in Libreville.

c) Languages in education/literacy / Langues dans l'éducation/l'alphabétisation :

UNDP (2006) gives a literacy figure (without reference to which language[s]) of: 71.0%

1.3 Writing in national/indigenous languages / Ecriture en langues nationales/indigènes

a) Orthographies / Orthographes :

National languages are written with the Latin script, with some extended-Latin (it is not clear if Fang uses extended characters like some other Beti languages or only diacritics; no information on other languages). / Les langues nationales sont écrites à l’aide de l’alphabet latin, avec quelques caractères supplémentaires et des signes diacritiques.

Some recommandations have been written up by linguits, but unanimity has not been reached among linguists or with language practitioners and teachers. / Plusieurs recommandations ont été créées par les linguistes, cependant il n'y a toujours par l’unanimité pour son usage parmis les linguistes, les professionels de la langue ou les professeurs. (Ndinga-Koumba-Binza 2005)

• Alphabet des idiomes gabonais (1932)
• ASG : Alphabet scientifique des langues du Gabon (1989)
• Rapidolangue (1995)
• OSG : Orthographe des langues du Gabon (1999)

b) Print publications / Editions imprimées :

1.4 Other comments / Autre commentaire :

A 2005 article that discusses language planning for Gabon is referenced at http://www.aflat.org/?q=node/239 ("Considering the Lexicographic Plan for Gabon within the Gabonese Language Landscape")

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2. ICT situation / Situation des TIC

2.1 Infrastructure / Infrastructure

a) Telephones / Téléphones :

• Fixed lines:
  • Telephone mainlines: 30 per 1000 people (APC)
  • 38,700 (2.86 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)
  • "Historic fixed operator": Gabon Telecom (ITU 2004 cited in Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)
• Mobile subscriptions:
  • 300,000 (22.4 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Vodafone 2005)
  • 500,000 (Pro€Invest 2006)
  • Operators: Libertis, Celtel, Telecel (Pro€Invest 2006)
• Ratio of mobile / total telephone subscribers: 92.7% (Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)

b) Radio stations / Stations de radio :

c) Connectivity / Connectivité :

• International internet bandwidth / Bande passante internationale d'internet :
• ISPs / FSI: 3 (Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)
  • Technologies used: RTC, LS, XDSL, Wi-Fi (Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)
• Geographic coverage / Couverture géographique :

2.2 Computer & internet access / Accès aux ordinateurs et à l'internet

a) Computers & points of access / Ordinateurs et lieux d'accès :

• Number of computers / Nombre d'ordinateurs: 40,000 (2.96 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)
• Cybercafés / Cybercafés:
• Project telecentres / Télécentres de projets:

b) Internet / Internet :

• Dial-up subscribers / Abonnés par ligne téléphonique :
• Internet users / Utilisateurs de l'internet : 40,000 Internet users as of Sept/05, 2.8% of the population, per ITU (Internet World Stats)

c) Other / Autre :

• Digital Opportunity Index (DOI): 0.33 (ITU 2006)

2.3 ICT policy / Politique de TIC

ARTEL is the telecommunications regulatory body (Pro€Invest-CDE 2006)

According to Pro€Invest-CDE (2006) there has been

• "Realisation of a development plan for the telecommunications network"
• Coordinating institution(s): Ministry of Communication, Post, Telecommunications and New information technologies

The APC page, "ICT Policy in Gabon" has some information and links:

• In English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21853e_1
• En français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21853e_1

2.4 ICT4D/E & ICT training / TIC pour le développement/éducation, et formation en TIC

2.5 Resources / Ressources

Institutions:

• Institut Supérieur de Technologies (IST) http://www.educasup.gouv.ga/Univers_Ecoles/ist.htm
• Institut Africain d'Informatique (IAI), Cameroon (also serves Gabon)

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3. Localisation situation / Situation de localisation

3.1 Country web content / Contenu web du pays

Selected pages:

• Présidence http://www.omarbongo.org/
• Gabonews http://www.gabonews.ga/
• Portail commercial de GabonTelecom http://www.ogooue.ga/

3.2 Web content in indigenous languages / Contenu web en langues indigènes

(See also specific language pages.)

3.3 Software localisation / Localisation de logiciel

Not aware of any software localisation activities.

(See also specific language pages.)

3.4 Projects & organisations / Projets et organisations

3.5 Localisation policy / Politique de localisation

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4. References / Références

APC, "ICT Policy in Gabon," Africa ICT Policy Monitor, http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21853e_1 ("Politiques de TIC en/au Gabon," Observatoire des politiques des TIC en Afrique, http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21853e_1 )

International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2006. World Information Society Report 2006. Geneva: ITU. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/wisr-web.pdf

______. 2004. African Telecommunication Indicators 2004. Geneva: ITU.

Internet World Stats: Africa. 2006. http://internetworldstats.com/africa.htm

Leclerc, Jacques. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Gabon," http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/gabon.htm

Ndinga-Koumba-Binza, Hugues Steve. Considering the Lexicographic Plan for Gabon within the Gabonese Language Landscape in Lexikos, Issue 15, p.132-150 (2005) http://edocs.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/volltexte/2009/12611/pdf/Gabon.considering.pdf

Pro€Invest - Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE). 2006. "Investment opportunities in the ICT and e-business services sector in Central Africa." Presented at NOVATECH 2006 (West & Central Africa), Bamako, Mali, 7-9 November 2006 http://www.proinvest-eu.org/files/pubs/37/NOVATECH%20-%20Etude_CAF%20en.pdf ("Opportunités d'investissement dans les TIC et des services e.business en Afrique Centrale," http://www.proinvest-eu.org/files/pubs/36/NOVATECH%202006%20-%20Etude_sectorielle%20CAF.pdf )

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Languages of Gabon," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GA

UNDP. 2006. ''Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006.'' New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [Human development index Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/3.html ]

UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa. 1985. African Community Languages and Their Use in Literacy and Education: A Regional Survey. Dakar: UNESCO.

Vodafone. 2005. "Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones." The Vodafone Policy Paper Series, Number 3, March 2005. http://www.vodafone.com/assets/files/en/GPP%20SIM%20paper.pdf

Wikipedia, "Languages of Gabon", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Gabon

Wikipédia, "Alphabet scientifique des langues du Gabon", http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_scientifique_des_langues_du_Gabon

______, "Orthographe des langues du Gabon", http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthographe_des_langues_du_Gabon

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