Gabon

As part of its economic diversification strategy, Gabon is developing three new special economic zones (SEZs), offering companies a range of investment incentives, each of which is to be dedicated to the development of different industrial sectors.

According to the IMF’s 2015 Article IV consultation with Gabon, the early years of the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan (Plan Stratégique Gabon Emergent, PSGE) proved to be a significant boon for the construction sector. The IMF reported that “high oil revenues funded a scaling up of public investment that helped propel overall growth to nearly 6...

Following a sharp drop since mid-2014 in the international price of oil, which is by far Gabon’s biggest source of export and fiscal revenues, the country is in the midst of a significant oil price shock. However, the government is better placed to avoid a pro-cyclical response than in previous oil crises, and the financial sector appears to...

What effect has Gabon’s log export ban had?

Against a backdrop of falling oil revenue, and despite sharp cuts in spending, and investment spending in particular, public finances slid into the red in 2015 with the country experiencing its first deficit in 17 years. However, both revenues and outlays are expected to recover slightly in 2016, and the authorities are seeking new ways to...