On November 1, 2021, Mr. Jean Marie NTOUTOUME took office as General Delegate of UFIGA, replacing Mrs. Françoise VAN DE VEN.
A graduate of Laval University (Quebec, Canada) in Wood Processing Engineering, he was previously in the Gabonese Public Administration at the Ministry of Water and Forests where he held several positions, including Director of Wood Industries and Trade and Director General of the Agency for the Execution of Activities of the Forest-Wood Sector. He has followed the changes in the sector following the ban on the export of logs form and has a knowledge of the sector, both its difficulties and the challenges to be met.
At the initiative of the forum on the generalization of forest certification in November 2018 and the promotion of the Pan African Forest Certification (PAFC) of which he presented the 1st certificate to the company Precious Wood - CEB, Jean Marie NTOUTOUME told us his first projections: "From my point of view, the challenge of the moment is essentially based on the search for the necessary balance between the revitalization of a tropical timber processing industry, the improvement of forest governance in the Congo Basin and the Sustainable Development Goals. How to reconcile global issues with the development ambitions of the countries of the continent?"
