[5] Onouviet remained Director-General of the Gabonese Development Bank until he was appointed to the government[1][3][4] as Minister of Water, Forests, Fisheries, and Reforestation on 25 January 1999; later, in December 1999, he was assigned additional responsibility for the Environment and the Protection of Nature.
[1][3] After the election, he remained in the government that was formed on 27 January 2002, but he was moved to the position of Minister of Mines, Energy, Oil, and Hydraulic Resources.
The Chinese, who promised to build more infrastructure than the Brazilians, were backed by another faction in the government (headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Jean Ping) and they ultimately prevailed, receiving rights to the iron reserves on 7 September 2006.
[11] At the time of the April 2008 local elections, Onouviet was suspended from his party functions for six months for indiscipline due to his support of candidates who were not backed by the PDG.
[15][16] The dismissal of Onouviet, who had remained loyal to Ali Bongo during the election period, was part of a major reworking of the state administration, in which many prominent ministers and officials were replaced.
Following the resignation of Guy Nzouba Ndama, Onouviet was elected to succeed him as President of the National Assembly on 8 April 2016.
[20] Following the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état, he was among several officials of the Bongo regime who were arrested by the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions and charged with treason.