Gabon sets ambitious 7% growth target by 2030

President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has unveiled a historic shift in Gabon’s economic strategy, aiming to push the country’s growth rate to between 6% and 7% by 2030. After a decade of stagnation below 5%, the new plan marks a decisive break from the rentier model that has long defined the nation’s economy.

In a recent interview, the president outlined a comprehensive roadmap designed to revitalise the country. He described the previous economic approach as an illusion: “Gabon has lived on a rentier model that neither creates growth, nor inclusive growth.”

A new economic era: three core pillars

To correct this trajectory and build a strong, job-creating economy, the president’s strategy rests on three fundamental pillars:

1. Systematic industrialisation through local processing of raw materials.
2. Economic diversification, with massive efforts directed toward agriculture and services.
3. Improving the business climate to create an attractive environment for investment.

The PNCD 2026-2030: a lever for recovery

This vision is embodied in the National Growth and Development Plan (PNCD) 2026-2030. The plan targets a growth rate 6% to 7%, an unprecedented level for Gabon. It focuses on strategic sectors: manganese processing, development of poultry and cattle farming, the digital economy, and the valorisation of Gabon’s forest wealth on carbon markets.

“Gabon has the resources. What it lacked was governance. We have restored it,” affirmed President Oligui Nguema. By tying economic ambition to rigorous governance, he intends to place Gabon among the most dynamic nations on the continent by 2030.