Afreximbank country brief explores Gabon’s reform momentum and diversification drive

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 31 October 2026:

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has released its Gabon Country Brief, offering a comprehensive analysis of the Central African nation’s macroeconomic outlook, trade performance, financial sector development and debt sustainability profile.

The brief highlights Gabon as one of Africa’s wealthier economies, with real GDP per capita, estimated at about USD8,641 in 2026. Home to 2.7 million people, Gabon is strategically located on the Atlantic Coast of Central Africa, with direct access to global shipping routes through the ports of Owendo and Port-Gentil.

The nation commands a distinctive profile as a commodity-rich economy with expanding industrial ambitions. Real GDP growth is forecast to accelerate to 3.3% in 2026,

supported by stronger hydrocarbons receipts, while inflation is expected to hold at a contained 2.3%, comfortably within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) regional threshold.

The findings of the brief demonstrate how Gabon’s economic story has been driven by its significant resource base. The brief notes that the country is one of the world’s largest producers of manganese, a key material in demand for steel and electric vehicle batteries.

While manganese ore is rapidly growing in strategic importance as an export earner and a magnet for foreign investment, exports remain concentrated in crude oil. Total goods and services trade recovered strongly from USD9.1 billion in 2020 to USD17.4 billion in 2024, with the trade balance remaining consistently in surplus throughout.

This edition goes on to explore Gabon’s forward-looking diversification agenda. It notes that the government is deploying special economic zones to catalyse private investment in higher value-processing and manufacturing, such as the flagship Nkok SEZ near Libreville.

Complementary zones at Inkolo and Mpassa-Lebombi, alongside a planned site near Port-Gentil, signal a broadening industrial base across timber, mining and logistics. Most ambitiously, a planned ban on raw manganese exports from January 2029 is designed to accelerate local value addition.

Infrastructure investment is also identified as a key driver underpinning this transformation. The brief notes that the government committed USD197 million to infrastructure projects in 2025, more than double the USD81 million allocated in 2024.

Planned road construction and rehabilitation, including the 166km Kougouleu-Medouneu corridor, will strengthen domestic connectivity and regional trade flows. Growing multilateral support, including USD150 million in World Bank financing signed in April 2026, underscores rising international confidence in Gabon’s economic trajectory, and the Plan National de Croissance et de Développement 2026-2030 sets out an ambitious roadmap prioritising macroeconomic stability, infrastructure and private sector participation.

This edition further highlights the deepening of Gabon’s financial sector, with a December 2025 partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund to modernise digital financial services marking a significant step towards broader financial inclusion.

The full Country Brief offers a timely and detailed portrait of an economy in transformation, capturing the resource wealth, industrial ambition and growing multilateral confidence that make Gabon one of Central Africa’s most compelling economic stories.

Dr. Yemi Kale, Afreximbank’s Group Chief Economist and Managing Director: Research noted: “Gabon’s resource endowment, strategic Atlantic location and commitment to higher-value local processing present important opportunities to deepen trade and investment. The country’s diversification agenda, including special economic zones, infrastructure development and expanded manganese processing, can help strengthen industrial capacity, create value-added exports and broaden economic activity beyond hydrocarbons.”