Bongo has been out of the country since October 24 following a stroke he suffered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while attending a development summit, some say an investment meeting.
He remained hospitalised in the Saudi kingdom, reportedly suffering from “fatigue” and “persistent vertigo”, before being transferred to a military hospital in Rabat, Morocco.
Bongo’s return to the country to preside at the ceremony, follows the failed coup attempt on January 7 by a handful of young soldiers of the Republican Guard (GR), an elite army unit responsible for the security of the head of state.