For decades, Africa’s mineral wealth has flowed outward, enriching industries abroad while leaving mining communities with crumbling infrastructure, weak public services, and a deep sense of economic exclusion. Gabon is now challenging this pattern by redirecting a portion of its mining revenues into direct local development.

The shift began with a landmark agreement between the Gabonese government and Comilog, the world’s leading producer of high-grade manganese and a subsidiary of the French group Eramet. Under the updated mining convention, 20% of the proportional mining royalty is now allocated to the Local Communities Development Fund. An additional contribution from the extraction tax on quarries operated by the company further strengthens this fund, which targets the regions most affected by mining activities.

This initiative marks a fundamental shift in Gabon’s mining policy. The focus is no longer solely on tax revenue or export volumes, but on transforming natural resources into tools for territorial cohesion and human development.

Breaking the resource curse

The paradox of resource-rich regions remaining among the poorest has long plagued African economies. Gabon, the world’s second-largest manganese producer, is no exception. Mining zones have historically borne the environmental and social costs of extraction without seeing a proportional return on the wealth extracted from their soil.

The reform, initiated through the 2019 Mining Code and reinforced by a 2020 addendum with Comilog, represents a significant departure. For the first time, a portion of mining revenues is automatically directed to the affected communities, bypassing national budgetary decisions. This model aligns Gabon with successful examples from Botswana and Canada, where social acceptance of mining hinges on a fairer distribution of benefits.

A shared governance model

The mechanism operates through a tripartite governance structure involving the state, local authorities, and the mining operator. The Partnership Management Committee sets strategic priorities, while the Operational Management Committee oversees technical execution and project implementation. This structure ensures that investments reflect local realities rather than being dictated from distant administrative centers.

Funds are channeled into public infrastructure, collective facilities, healthcare centers, schools, water access, local economic initiatives, and job creation. Early results are already visible. By 2025, Comilog reported 26 community projects completed, totaling nearly 8.5 billion CFA francs in investments and benefiting approximately 240,000 people in mining basins—a significant impact in a country of fewer than three million inhabitants.

Paving the way for a new African mining contract

The stakes extend far beyond Gabon’s borders. Global demand for strategic minerals is surging, driven by the energy transition, electric mobility, and digital innovation. Manganese has become a critical component in battery manufacturing and tomorrow’s industrial technologies. Central Africa holds a substantial share of the reserves essential to this new global economy.

The real challenge is no longer how much mineral wealth Africa exports, but how much of that wealth remains to finance education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic diversification. Comilog has committed to supporting local entrepreneurship, vocational training, and income-generating activities to gradually reduce the dependence of mining territories on extraction alone.

If this vision holds, Gabon could emerge as a leading African example of a renewed social contract between mining industries, the state, and local populations. In the 21st century, the true value of a mine is no longer measured solely in exported tons or dividends paid. It is measured in schools built, businesses launched, sustainable jobs created, and opportunities offered to future generations. This is where the legitimacy of Africa’s major mining powers will ultimately be decided.