Gabon

As a bastion of liquidity within the financially turbulent Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté Économique des États de l’Afrique Cen-trale, CEMAC), Gabon competes head-on with the more populous Cameroon for the title of regional banking centre. The regional stock exchange based in Gabon is also beginning to see an uptick in activity and insurance penetration is...

With a tropical climate and arable land to spare, Gabon has significant potential to expand agriculture, yet the sector remains somewhat overlooked. One-fifth of the country’s total arable land has not been developed for agriculture, and the country remains largely dependent on food imports to meet its consumption requirements.

The sector has shown recent growth, roughly 5% year-on-...

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.

Oil production peaked in 1997 at 370,000 bpd but stabilised in recent years around 240,000 bpd. The decline in...

Classified by the World Bank as an upper-middle income country, Gabon enjoys an average per capita income – estimated at €8950 in 2013 – that is far higher than the sub-Saharan Africa developing country average of €1212.

Oil revenues have sustained the economy, accounting for 56% of total government revenues and 80% of total exports by value, according to US Energy Information...

Gabon is located on the Gulf of Guinea, surrounded by low- and lower-middle income neighbours. However, the country’s sizable oil resources and limited population have positioned it as one of six upper-middle income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gabon has the second-largest economy in the sub-region. GDP at purchasing power parity reached $29.38bn in 2012, behind Cameroon ($55....