The Gabonese economy has been stuck below 5% growth for a decade, but President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is determined to break this cycle. In a bold move to shift away from the country’s long-standing reliance on resource extraction, he has unveiled a transformative economic roadmap aimed at revitalizing Gabon’s future.

Ending the resource curse

President Oligui Nguema has diagnosed Gabon’s economic stagnation with unflinching clarity. “For too long, our nation has depended on a rentier economy that fails to generate real growth—let alone inclusive prosperity.”

He highlights the paradox of exporting raw materials like crude oil and manganese without leveraging them to create local jobs. “Shipping out unrefined resources is tantamount to shipping out jobs,” he emphasized.

Three pillars for a new economic dawn

To reverse this trend and build a robust, job-creating economy, the President has outlined a strategy built on three core pillars:

1. Systematic industrialization through local processing of raw materials.
2. Economic diversification by prioritizing agriculture and service sectors.
3. Improving the business climate to attract investment and foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

PNCD 2026-2030: The engine of recovery

The President’s vision is embodied in the National Growth and Development Plan (PNCD) for 2026-2030, a sweeping initiative designed to catapult Gabon’s growth rate to an ambitious 6-7% annually.

The plan zeroes in on key sectors poised for expansion: manganese processing, poultry and cattle farming, digital innovation, and leveraging Gabon’s forest wealth in carbon markets.

“Gabon possesses the resources. What it lacked was disciplined governance—and we have restored it,” declared President Oligui Nguema.

By aligning economic ambition with rigorous governance, he aims to position Gabon among Africa’s most dynamic economies by 2030.