Léon Mébiame
- December 18, 2015
- 81 years
Remembering Léon Mébiame: related finds and keepsakes
About Léon Mébiame
Léon Mébiame, 81, Gabonese politician, Prime Minister (1975–1990).
Explore other notable deaths in 2015 or deaths in December 2015.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Léon Mébiame?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
60 Seconds Life Story
Léon Mébiame served as the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Gabon, holding the office for over
Léon Mébiame
1975 – 2015
60 Seconds: Léon Mébiame's Life Story
This short documentary explores the life and career of Léon Mébiame, Gabon's longest-serving prime minister.
Transcript
Léon Mébiame served as the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Gabon, holding the office for over fifteen years. Born in Libreville, he began his career as an inspector of federal police during the period of French colonial rule. Following Gabon's independence in 1960, Mébiame rose to prominence as a close political associate of President Omar Bongo. From 1975 to 1990, he led the government as prime minister, acting as a stabilizing anchor for the ruling coalition. After leaving the cabinet, he shifted his focus toward commerce and served as President of the Libreville Chamber of Commerce and Industry. His long life in public service concluded in his home city, where he passed away in 2015 at the age of eighty-one.
Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.
Visual credits: Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · brixiv / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License) · The original description page was here. All following user names refer to en.wikipedia. (Public domain) · Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph)
An illustrated presentation assembled inside the archive from the approved script and the credited images: narration, scene transitions and captions. Caption timing is estimated from the narration.
Narrated illustration. Images are sourced and credited; they are not presented as authenticated photographs.
Full Biography
|Léon Mébiame (1 September 1934 – 18 December 2015) was a Gabonese politician who was the 2nd Prime Minister of Gabon. From 1975 to 1990, he served as the longest-serving prime minister in Gabonese history, at 15 years and 17 days.
Life and career
A member of the Fang ethnic group, Mébiame was born in Libreville. Under French colonial rule, he became an inspector of federal police in 1956 and was posted in Chad from 6 January 1957 to March 1959. At independence in 1960, he was commissioner of police. A close associate of President Omar Bongo, he was Vice President of Gabon from 1968 to 1975, when the position was abolished. He was Minister of Justice in early 1970s. He was appointed as prime minister and served from 16 April 1975 to 3 May 1990. He was the minister of public finance from 1990 to 1991. His replacement in the cabinet was seen as surprising as he was generally believed to be an anchor for stabilizing the ruling government's coalition, but Bongo was encouraged by reformist elements with the PDG including his own son to drop longtime ministers who opposed changes or who they deemed as having little competence. Mébiame was replaced by technocrat Casimir Oyé-Mba.
Subsequently, he joined the opposition in the early 1990s.
He was appointed as President of the Libreville Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Mines on 6 November 2008. He took office on 4 December 2008, succeeding Joachim Boussamba. He was also appointed to the Economic and Social Council, an official advisory body, by President Bongo in 2008, although he lost his seat on the council after Bongo's son Ali Bongo Ondimba took office in 2009.
Mébiame died at age 81 at a Libreville clinic on the night of 17–18 December 2015.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Léon Mébiame on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_M%C3%A9biame
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Léon Mébiame's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the date of birth for Léon Mébiame?
- A.16 April 1975
- B.1 September 1934correct
- C.6 January 1957
- D.18 December 2015
Léon Mébiame was born on 1 September 1934.
Source: biographical summary
2.To which ethnic group did Léon Mébiame belong?
- A.Omyene
- B.Kota
- C.Fangcorrect
- D.Punu
Léon Mébiame was a member of the Fang ethnic group.
Source: life and career
3.Where was Léon Mébiame born?
- A.Port-Gentil
- B.Franceville
- C.Oyem
- D.Librevillecorrect
Léon Mébiame was born in Libreville.
Source: life and career
4.What position did Léon Mébiame hold starting in 1956 under French colonial rule?
- A.Regional administrator
- B.Colonial secretary
- C.Inspector of federal policecorrect
- D.Commissioner of police
In 1956, Léon Mébiame became an inspector of federal police.
Source: life and career
5.Léon Mébiame was posted in which country from 1957 to 1959?
- A.Chadcorrect
- B.Central African Republic
- C.Congo
- D.Cameroon
Léon Mébiame was posted in Chad from 6 January 1957 to March 1959.
Source: life and career
6.What role did Léon Mébiame hold at the time of Gabon's independence in 1960?
- A.Vice President
- B.Minister of Finance
- C.Prime Minister
- D.Commissioner of policecorrect
At independence in 1960, Léon Mébiame was the commissioner of police.
Source: life and career
7.Léon Mébiame served as Vice President of Gabon between which years?
- A.1980 to 1990
- B.1975 to 1982
- C.1968 to 1975correct
- D.1960 to 1968
Léon Mébiame was Vice President of Gabon from 1968 to 1975.
Source: life and career
8.How long did Léon Mébiame serve as the Prime Minister of Gabon?
- A.20 years and 2 months
- B.15 years and 17 dayscorrect
- C.10 years and 5 months
- D.12 years and 11 days
Léon Mébiame served as Prime Minister for 15 years and 17 days.
Source: biographical summary
9.Who replaced Léon Mébiame as Prime Minister in 1990?
- A.Ali Bongo Ondimba
- B.Casimir Oyé-Mbacorrect
- C.Joachim Boussamba
- D.Omar Bongo
Léon Mébiame was replaced by technocrat Casimir Oyé-Mba.
Source: life and career
10.Léon Mébiame served as the minister of public finance during which period?
- A.1990 to 1991correct
- B.1985 to 1990
- C.1975 to 1978
- D.1991 to 1995
Léon Mébiame was the minister of public finance from 1990 to 1991.
Source: life and career
11.Which organization did Léon Mébiame join in the early 1990s?
- A.The Economic and Social Council
- B.The oppositioncorrect
- C.The PDG
- D.The military junta
Léon Mébiame joined the opposition in the early 1990s.
Source: life and career
12.On what date was Léon Mébiame appointed President of the Libreville Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Mines?
- A.6 November 2008correct
- B.18 December 2009
- C.4 December 2008
- D.1 September 2008
Léon Mébiame was appointed as President of the Chamber of Commerce on 6 November 2008.
Source: life and career
13.Whom did Léon Mébiame succeed as President of the Libreville Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Mines?
- A.Joachim Boussambacorrect
- B.Casimir Oyé-Mba
- C.Ali Bongo Ondimba
- D.Omar Bongo
Léon Mébiame succeeded Joachim Boussamba as President of the Chamber of Commerce.
Source: life and career
14.Why did Léon Mébiame lose his seat on the Economic and Social Council in 2009?
- A.The council was permanently dissolved
- B.He resigned voluntarily
- C.He retired due to poor health
- D.Ali Bongo Ondimba took officecorrect
Léon Mébiame lost his seat after Ali Bongo Ondimba took office in 2009.
Source: life and career
15.At what age did Léon Mébiame pass away?
- A.81correct
- B.83
- C.78
- D.80
Léon Mébiame died at age 81.
Source: life and career
16.Where did Léon Mébiame pass away?
- A.At a Libreville cliniccorrect
- B.In a hospital in France
- C.At his private residence
- D.In the Presidential palace
Léon Mébiame died at a Libreville clinic.
Source: life and career
Explore the archive
People who died on December 18
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Léon Mébiame →Advertisement
