Economy

In a country where public investment programmes have been pivotal for economic growth over the past several years, authorities are nonetheless well aware of the value of stoking private sector growth. However, there are challenges ahead, as, according to the World Bank, Gabon was ranked 144th out of 189 countries in its 2015 “Doing Business”...

As evidenced by its participation in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale, CEMAC), Gabon has long sought to cultivate strong business and trade ties within Africa (see analysis). As the continent’s GDP and economic clout have risen over the past decade, those...

Over the past five decades, Gabon has proven itself to be one of the most politically stable countries on the continent, in spite of the challenges it shares with so many of its neighbours, such as a dependence on commodities.

Although it has one of the region’s smallest populations, Gabon has long been a visible and effective diplomatic player in Central Africa, aided in part by strong ties to France – and more recently Asian economies – as well as by a comparatively high per-capita income and GDP.