ATAYI MEPAS De London Antoinette : The young woman who has the trust of the people of OWENDO (Gabon)
ATAYI MEPAS De London Antoinette has been 2nd Deputy Mayor of the Second District of the Owendo Commune since 2019. She is the first woman to hold this position at the age of 29.
Her youth has not been a handicap with the local population. She has made all efforts to make a positive impact on the continent too. In October 2022, she was elected Vice-President of the Young Elected Local Officials of Africa (YELO) network for the Central Africa region. “We want young people to get involved in local governance. Our wish is to see young people included in the decisions of their respective communities“, she said after her election.
Trained at the École Supérieure des Arts et Métiers – University Institute of Science and Development (ESAM-IUSD) in tourism and hotel management, and specializing in tourism management, the young lady is interested in youth policies, particularly those promoting the inclusion and socio-professional integration of the most vulnerable. Convinced that the development of initiatives based on the social and solidarity economy (SSE) can reduce the marginalization of certain territories and certain populations on our continent, she draws on the experience of her peers by taking part in numerous youth meetings across the continent. As GSEF focal point in Gabon, she believes “that development through the social and solidarity economy can reduce marginalization and reveal young talent”.
Involved in the leadership of UCLG Africa’s YELO network, she took part in the GSEF 2023 meetings in Dakar (Global Forum for Social and Solidarity Economy) and the 7th UCLG World Summit in Daejeon, where she spoke of the important role of young people in politics, the economy and the creative and cultural industries. As a fighter who is aware of the role of women in Gabon’s political landscape, Ms Atayi Mepas has once again put herself forward as a candidate for the next municipal elections in Gabon, where she still hopes to be the standard-bearer for a new generation of young leaders.
She has a long-standing commitment to young people. In 2013, in her capacity of youth spokesperson for the project to involve young people in electoral processes, she said: “It is up to us, young people from associations, political parties, school and university mutual societies, to seize the opportunity offered by this project, which is intended to be inclusive and impartial, its vocation being educational. The aim here is not to confine young people to one political side or to influence their choices, but to raise their awareness of their civic and political rights”.
So it’s hardly surprising that the people of Owendo have put their trust in her since 2019.