Business in Gabon, Libreville

The purposes of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in the Gabonese Republic” are the following:

1. To analyse the Gabonese Economy and Foreign Trade (Import, Export, FDI)
2. To know the business opportunities in the Gabonese Republic
3. To explore the Gabonese trade relations with the country of the student
4. To know the Gabonese Free Trade Agreements
5. To examine the profile of Gabonese companies
6. To develop a business plan for the Gabonese market

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   1. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
   2. WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG)
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea (Rotterdam Rules, UN)

African Trade and Economic Organisations

1. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
2. African Union (AU)
   1. African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
   2. African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)
3. African Development Bank (AfDB)
4. Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership (NAASP)
5. Africa-Korea Partnership
6. Africa-Japan Cooperation (TICAD)
7. Africa-India Framework for Cooperation
8. Africa-BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
9. Africa-South America Summit (ASA)
10. Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
11. Africa-Turkey Partnership

Islamic Organisations

1. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
2. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
3. Afro-Arab Cooperation
4. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)

Global Organisations

1. OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)
2. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
3. World Bank (WB)
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
5. FAO
6. World Health Organisation
7. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
8. International Organisation of the Francophonie...

Gabon: a strategic position in Central Africa.

Gabonese Republic

1. The position of the Gabonese Republic (Atlantic Coast, bordering the Central African economies) allows to become a truly international platform, a strategic point for access to the Central African Markets
2. Political system: Democratic Republic
3. Borders of Gabon: Cameroon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea
4. Gabon is an upper-middle-income country
5. Capital of Gabon: Libreville (500,000 people, 33% of the Gabonese population)
6. Other cities of Gabon: Franceville, Moanda, Port-Gentil, and Oyem
7. Gabonese population: 1.9 million people
   1. Bantu
8. The area of Gabon is 267,667 square kilometres
9. Official language of Gabon: French
10. Population growth: 2.4%
11. Life expectancy in Gabon: 63 years
12. Literacy rate: 84%
13. Gabonese Currency: Central African CFA
14. Gabon obtained its independence from France in 1960

More information about Gabon (EENI African Portal).

Religions in Gabon:

1. Christianity (Catholicism 75%)
2. African Traditional Religions

Albert Schweitzer in Gabon.

Gabon belongs to the Central African Economic Area (African Civilisation).

1. The economic welfare of Gabon (Africa), its geographical position, political stability, and the social guarantees have already promoted many foreign investors to locate in Gabon
2. The non-Petroleum sector of Gabon growth was robust, driven by rising commodity prices
3. The Gabonese economy has slowed because of the impact of the global crisis on the three leading sectors of the Gabonese economy: timber, manganese, and petroleum
4. Gabon has twenty-three Petroleum companies, including nine North American, five European, two Australian, two South African, and one from the People's Republic of China
5. The second largest producers, Shell Gabon (3.5 million tonnes) and Total Fina Elf became Total (5 million tonnes) were both on 70% of Gabonese Petroleum
6. Rail transport: Franceville-Libreville
7. Access to the Port of Pointe Noire (Congo)

To guarantee the exploitation of its natural resources, Gabon has put in place a legal and fiscal framework for the Foreign direct investment (FDI).

1. Creation in 2002, of the Private Investment Promotion Agency. The main objective is to advise to the foreign investors, and facilitating  administrative procedures related to business creation
2. Creation in 2005 of the Free Zone Mandji (Port-Gentil)

The Industrial Society of Gabon is a limited company with a capital of 950 billion CFA francs. Created in Libreville in 1975, SOGI is a leader in Gabon in the construction sector industrial and one of the first players in the Central African region.