Africa Economy

Unlike many of its regional neighbours, Gabon’s independence from its colonial European government did not result in years of civil conflict. Today, the country stands as one of the most wealthy nations in sub-Saharan Africa, which it largely owes to its robust hydrocarbons reserves. President Ali Bongo Ondimba has served as head of state for...

Gabon is one of the member nations of CEMAC, which was created to integrate regional economies and boost trade. While the bloc has successfully established the free movement of capital, a shared currency and a wide range of common regional institutions, a number of the other aspects of the proposed integration have proceeded sluggishly. This...

An oil-rich equatorial country in West Africa, Gabon’s abundant natural resources have given it one of the highest per capita incomes in Africa, though lower oil revenues has seen growth contract in recent years. Nonetheless, thousands of kilometres of dense jungle rich in minerals and timber, decades of political stability and strong ties...

One of the three key pillars of the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan is Services Gabon, which addresses the development of a skilled labour force and aims to establish the country as a regional centre for financial services, tertiary education, health and environmentally sustainable development. To this end, efforts are now under way to increase...

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.

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...