Gabon’s economy has been stuck below 5% growth for a decade, but President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema now pledges a radical break from the country’s rent-based model. In a recent interview, he outlined a strategic roadmap to revive the nation’s fortunes and chase a growth rate of 7% by 2030.
Breaking with the rentier illusion
The head of state’s diagnosis of Gabon’s economic lethargy is blunt: “Gabon has relied on a rentier model that generates neither growth nor inclusion.” By pointing to the raw export of oil and manganese, the president highlights a major economic flaw: “Exporting raw materials means exporting our jobs.”
Three pillars of a new economic era
To correct course and build a strong, job-creating economy, the president structures his strategy around three fundamental pillars:
- Systematic industrialisation through local processing of raw materials.
- Diversification of the economy, with a massive push toward agriculture and services.
- Cleaning up the business climate to create an attractive, investment-friendly environment.
The PNCD 2026-2030: The recovery weapon
This vision is embodied in an ambitious programme: the National Growth and Development Plan (PNCD) 2026-2030. The action plan aims to propel the country’s growth rate to an unprecedented level, between 6% and 7%.
The PNCD targets strategic, future-oriented sectors: manganese processing, development of poultry and cattle value chains, the digital boom, and monetising Gabon’s forest wealth through carbon markets.
“Gabon has the resources. What it lacked was governance. We have restored it,” affirmed Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. By linking economic ambition to a return to rigorous governance, the president aims to reposition Gabon among the continent’s most dynamic nations by 2030.
