News

In Gabon, in August 2025, the First Lady laid the foundation stone for a detoxification center for people with addictions that will combine Western medicine with the country's traditional medicine, which is centered on the use of iboga, the local equivalent of ayahuasca. This is a highly innovative initiative. Our former patient, Avel Pellé, has applied to take part in the project, drawing on both his personal experience at Takiwasi and his skills as a therapist. The project is coordinated by the French researcher Yann Guyon, who has long advocated for the proper therapeutic use of iboga in Gabon. Dr. Jacques Mabit has been in contact with him for several years.

-Libreville, Dépêches 241-. On August 5, 2025, in the presence of numerous institutional representatives and members of civil society, First Lady Zita Oligui Nguema officially launched the construction of the Nkok Detoxification and Reintegration Center by laying its foundation stone. Led by the Ma Bannière Foundation, which she chairs, this innovative project aims to combine modern medical approaches, social reintegration efforts, and the promotion of traditional knowledge, particularly through the use of iboga.

On August 5, 2025, First Lady Zita Oligui Nguema laid the foundation stone of the center. For this official ceremony, she was joined by several members of the Government, including the Minister of Health, Professor Adrien Mougougou; the Minister of Water and Forests, General Maurice Ntossui Allogo; the Minister of Environment, Ecology and Climate, Mays Mouissi; the Minister of Youth, Sports, Cultural Promotion and the Arts, Armande Longo-Moulengui; the Minister of Social Affairs and Inclusion, Nadine Nathalie Awanang Epse Anato; and the Minister of Public Works and Construction, Edgard Moukoumbi.

In Gabon, a growing number of young people are turning to various forms of drug use. This increasingly normalized phenomenon is partly fueled by the influence of certain figures in the music industry who glorify these practices in their work. As a result, many young people develop substance dependence at an early age without access to appropriate support or specialized treatment facilities within the country. In this context, the establishment of a detoxification and reintegration center represents a concrete and much-needed response to the rise in addiction.

According to the Ma Bannière Foundation, the Nkok Detoxification Center is intended as a practical response to addiction-related challenges. It will be a facility entirely dedicated to receiving, detoxifying, training, and reintegrating young people struggling with substance dependence. Located in the Nkok Special Economic Zone, the center aims to support up to 200 young people each year through a comprehensive program that includes medically supervised detoxification, individual and group therapy, vocational training (in fields such as construction, carpentry, fashion, and audiovisual production), and assistance toward achieving independence.

What sets this detoxification center apart is its use of iboga, a therapeutic plant native to Gabon. Through this project, Zita Oligui Nguema hopes to restore iboga to the recognition it deserves within the pharmaceutical and therapeutic industries. Long confined to ritual use in Bwiti temples, iboga is now attracting the interest of leading international research centers because of its potential effectiveness in treating addiction to hard drugs. As Zita Oligui Nguema stated: “Iboga is more than a plant; it is an intangible heritage, a sacred body of knowledge, and a Gabonese strength.”

The Nkok Detoxification Center will be a place dedicated to the healing of the Gabonese people by harnessing the therapeutic properties of the country's traditional medicinal plants. Notably, the NGO Blessings of the Forest (BOTF-Gabon) attended the foundation stone ceremony. This international non-profit organization is committed to preserving and promoting the natural and cultural heritage of Gabon's Indigenous peoples, particularly through the protection of iboga.

The project led by First Lady Zita Oligui Nguema echoes the commitment of another First Lady, the late Edith Lucie Bongo Ondimba. Deeply concerned about the welfare of children with Down syndrome, she established Horizon Nouveau, a center dedicated to supporting them and offering hope and dignity to those whom life had not always treated kindly. There is little doubt that the detoxification center championed by Zita Oligui Nguema will likewise save many lives.