Doing Business in Gabon

Syllabus of the Subject: Doing Business in Gabon. Libreville.

1. Introduction to the Gabonese Republic (Central Africa)
2. Doing Business in Libreville
3. Gabonese economy
4. Industry sector in Gabon (Mining, Energy)
5. Service sector in Gabon (Transport and telecommunications)
6. “Green Gabon” (Agriculture and timber industry)
7. International Trade of Gabon
8. Ports of Gabon: Libreville and Port Gentil
9. Business and Investment Opportunities in Gabon
   1. Telecommunications and Information and communication technologies (ICT)
   2. Agriculture
   3. Infrastructures
   4. Natural resources
   5. Energy
   6. Housing
   7. Tourism and ecotourism
10. Case Study (*):
    1. Zain Gabon
    2. Sigall
    3. Import Prix
    4. Komo
11. Introduction to French
12. Access to the Gabonese market
13. Business Plan for Gabon

(*) Only available in French.

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

1. To analyse the Gabonese economy and foreign trade
2. To evaluate the business opportunities in the Gabonese Republic
3. To explore Gabon's trade relations with the country of the student
4. To know Gabon's Free Trade Agreements
5. To examine the profile of Gabonese companies
6. To develop a business plan for the Gabonese market

Sample of the subject - Doing Business in the Gabonese Republic:

Hispano-African University of International Business

Description of the Subject (Doing Business in the Gabonese Republic).

Gabon: a strategic position in Central Africa.
Gabonese Economy: Petroleum, timber, and manganese.

1. The position of the Gabonese Republic (Atlantic Coast, bordering the economies of Central Africa) allows him 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: Libreville (500,000 people, 33% of Gabonese population)
6. Other cities: Port-Gentil (100,000), Franceville (100,000), Oyem
7. Gabonese population: 1.9 million people
8. The area of Gabon is 267,667 square kilometers
   Official language of Gabon: French
9. Population growth: 2.4%
10. Life expectancy: 63 years
11. Literacy rate: 84%
12. Gabonese Currency: Central African CFA
13. Gabon obtained its independence from France in 1960

Religions in Gabon:

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

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

Gabonese Economy:

1. The economic welfare of Gabon (Africa), its geographical position, political stability, and social guarantees have already promoted many foreign investors to locate in Gabon
2. The growth of the non-Petroleum sector 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 the Gabonese Petroleum
6. Railway Franceville-Libreville
7. Access to the port of 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 Agency for Promotion of Private Investment. The main objective is to advise to the foreign investors, and facilitating the 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 leaderin Gabon in the construction sector industrial and one of the first players in the Central African region.

Albert Schweitzer in Gabon.

Gabon has preferential access to:

1. Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
2. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
3. African Growth and Opportunity Act (US AGOA)
4. Africa-European Union Strategic Partnership (Cotonou)

Gabon is a member of:

1. African Development Bank
2. Islamic Development Bank
3. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
4. New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
5. Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA)
6. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
7. Afro-Arab Cooperation
8. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)
9. African Union (AU) - Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
10. Africa (Gabon)-Asia Strategic Partnership
11. Africa (Gabon)-BRICS
12. OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)
13. United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), FAO, World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Organisation Francophonie

(c) EENI- Business School & Hispano-African University of International Business