Last week The Capitalist reported on the controversial opening speaker at the FT’s upcoming Africa Summit : the Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema, who stands accused of kidnapping and torturing the family of his predecessor.

The FT press office brushed off our suggestion that hosting Nguema on 22 October might not align with the newspaper’s brand values, given its commitment to “protecting human rights”.

But less than 48 hours after we ran the story, Nguema mysteriously disappeared from the schedule . His spot remained unfilled until Monday morning, when vice president Alexandre Barro Chambrier replaced him.

The FT had no comment on the late change but City AM understands the official line of the Gabonese government is an unfortunate scheduling conflict with another diplomatic

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