Country Profile

Located on the equator, Gabon is at the heart of the world’s second-largest rainforest. The country has an abundance of natural resources and is the fourth-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, at around 250,000 barrels per day. Gabon is also Africa’s second-largest manganese producer and contains significant iron ore deposits along with uranium, gold, rare earth minerals and diamonds. Relative stability has allowed Gabon to underwrite significant socioeconomic development. The continued and steady improvements in the nation’s political participation mechanisms, coupled with the increased enlargement of economic opportunities, will help to secure the gains made in previous years. This chapter contains interviews with President Ali Bongo Ondimba; Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima; Pierre Moussa, President, CEMAC Commission; and Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation.