Gabon in Crisis: Live Updates on the Military Coup, Oil Markets & International Response

Libreville – Gabon’s transitional government is accelerating its drive to reclaim greater control over the Central African nation’s lucrative natural-resource sectors, unveiling back-to-back policy pivots that target both the Atlantic fishery and the world-class manganese belt. Last week the Ministry of Fisheries confirmed that Gabon will exit its 18-year bilateral accord that lets European Union vessels harvest tuna and other pelagic species in Gabonese waters in exchange for annual licence fees and sectoral support. President Brice Oligui Nguema called the deal “lopsided,” arguing that EU fleets exported most of the catch without landing or processing it locally, depriving coastal communities of jobs and value-addition opportunities. Libreville now plans to require foreign operators to off-load catch at Gabonese ports and invest in on-shore processing plants, part of a broader “blue-economy” strategy that also includes stricter surveillance of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Barely 48 hours later, the Ministry of Mines issued a separate communiqué announcing that exports of unprocessed manganese ore will be banned from 1 January 2029. The policy forces multinationals—most prominently French miner Eramet, majority owner of the giant Moanda deposit—to build smelters and battery-grade refining capacity inside Gabon if they want to keep shipping the critical steel and electric-vehicle ingredient to global markets. Eramet’s Paris-listed shares fell more than 5 percent on the news, although the company said it would seek “constructive solutions” with authorities and protect the 10,000+ local jobs supported by its Comilog subsidiary. Why it matters for Gabon’s economy • Natural-resource rents account for roughly half of government revenue; shifting from raw exports to in-country processing could multiply fiscal take and spur downstream industries. • The fisheries sector employs an estimated 20,000 people but has long struggled with low domestic landing rates; mandatory local processing could unlock new cold-chain, packaging and logistics businesses in Port-Gentil and Libreville. • Manganese demand is projected to surge as automakers trial high-manganese cathodes to cut EV battery costs; positioning Gabon as a refined-manganese hub could attract green-tech investors from Asia and Europe. Balancing sovereignty and investor confidence President Nguema—who seized power in 2023 and won ratification in April’s election—has pledged to “re-found” the oil-dependent economy through resource nationalism tempered by PPP-friendly frameworks. Officials say incoming rules will include tax incentives, streamlined permits and a transparent quota system to reassure partners while ensuring Gabonese labour and SMEs capture a bigger slice of value chains. Regional precedent suggests the strategy can work: Indonesia’s 2020 nickel-ore ban triggered a wave of foreign-funded smelters worth more than US$30 billion. Libreville hopes similar localisation will diversify GDP, which shrank 1.6 percent in 2024 amid oil-price volatility. The government is also negotiating a new Extended Fund Facility with the International Monetary Fund, with an IMF mission due in mid-June to assess progress on fiscal reforms and anti-corruption measures. Environmental stakes Gabon brands itself a climate leader—88 percent of its territory is rainforest—and officials insist stricter resource governance aligns with its net-zero 2050 roadmap. Ending industrial vacuum-trawling by foreign fleets could help rebuild over-fished tuna stocks, while local manganese processing would shorten supply chains and lower transport-related emissions. However, NGOs caution that on-shore smelters consume large amounts of power and water; Gabon plans to meet the additional load by expanding its hydropower network on the Ogooué River and fast-tracking solar parks near Moanda. What’s next • EU-Gabon talks: Brussels says it “remains open” to revising the tuna accord; negotiations could hinge on quotas, port-call obligations and technology transfer. • Mining code update: A draft bill expected in Q4 2025 will spell out royalty rates, local-content minimums and environmental standards for manganese refiners. • Private-sector response: Chinese and South-Korean battery-material firms have reportedly sent scouting teams to Libreville and Franceville, eyeing joint ventures ahead of the 2029 deadline. Bottom line From the ocean to the ore seam, Gabon is signalling that the era of shipping out raw commodities with minimal local benefit is coming to a close. If authorities can strike the right balance between sovereignty, sustainability and investor certainty, the new rules could turn the resource-rich but still-developing nation into a higher-value manufacturing node in both the blue economy and the global battery supply chain.