Antoine Lawson

Street vendors who ply their trade in African cities aren’t generally viewed as posing a serious danger to public health. That is, unless one buys medicines and other forms of treatment from them — as the citizens of Gabon are discovering. The vendors sell smuggled and counterfeit treatments that are often cheaper that those available over the counter.

Only 10% of Gabonese businesswomen manage companies in the country, and at present, women account for less than 5% of CEOs of companies in Gabon. Many face an uphill struggle in trying to get fair treatment from their male counterparts, who have tended to judge them on their physical appearance alone.