Economy

The economy of Gabon has been driven in large part by its abundant wealth of natural resources, which have allowed it to support one of the highest per capita GDPs on the continent. However, the country’s economy reached a critical juncture in 2016, with the decrease in the international price of oil since mid-2014 having both highlighted the need for and increased the urgency of plans to diversify the hydrocarbons-dependent economy, while simultaneously reducing the availability of government financing to achieve this transformation. Economic diversification efforts are set to bear increasingly fruitful yields in the coming years – though persistent low oil prices would limit the availability of investment in such efforts and attendant infrastructure improvements, potentially slowing the pace – with several major agribusiness projects coming on-stream.

This chapter includes interviews with Régis Immongault, Minister of Economy, Forecasting and Development Programming; Madeleine Berre, Minister of the Promotion of Private Investment, Trade, Tourism and Industry; Nina Abouna, Director-General, National Investment Promotion Agency; Jean-Bernard Boumah, President, Gabonese Employers’ Confederation; and Abdellah Abbad, President, Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services – Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region, Morocco.