An historic staple of West and Central African agriculture, palm oil production on the continent began to decline in the 1960s as African governments prioritised oil and mineral extraction over agriculture. At the same time, the establishment of large-scale oil palm farms in Asia pushed down the price of imported palm oil products, prompting a further decline in Africa’s...
With a tropical climate and arable land to spare, Gabon has significant potential to expand agriculture, yet the sector remains largely underdeveloped. At present production is dominated by cassava and plantain, the output of which reached 300,000 tonnes and 285,000 tonnes, respectively, in 2012. The World Bank estimates that value-added agriculture contributed 4% of GDP...
Gabon is the fifth-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa and oil dominates the economy, accounting for roughly half of state revenues and more than 80% of export revenues. Over the last decade, however, output has declined as the country’s larger oil fields mature, prompting Gabon to encourage activity in smaller blocks expand offshore exploration in new blocks, and...
The offshore oil potential in Gabon has generated significant interest among oil companies in recent years due to the area’s geological similarities with Brazilian pre-salt layers, to the success of offshore blocks elsewhere in the Gulf of Guinea and to indications that it may contain analogous hydrocarbons systems. The large number of companies...
Having a large hydroelectric generation base is a boon to Gabon, giving it low-cost renewable energy. It is hydrocarbons, however, that continue to power most of the country’s plants. According to the most recent statistics available from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), from 2011, non-renewable thermal energy sources top hydroelectricity, which produced...
In partnership with the International Finance Corporation, the Banque Gabonaise de Développement (BGD) launched a “Toolkit for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)” in November 2013. The toolkit has an informational website for SME entrepreneurs with sections addressing all areas of business establishment, management and growth. The project also involves trainings...
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