Gabon: Introduction

Gabon is an upper-middle-income country in Central Africa characterized by significant natural resource wealth, particularly in oil and timber. Following a September 2023 coup that ended the Bongo family's long reign, the country is under a transition government led by Brice Oligui Nguema, aiming for elections on 12 April 2025. Despite its high GDP per capita driven by petroleum, Gabon faces persistent development challenges, including high youth unemployment, entrenched inequality, and a lack of economic diversification.

• Gabon is a resource-rich nation where forests cover 85% of the landmass, making it the second-largest forest area in Africa. Its primary natural resources include timber, manganese, natural gas, and crude oil.
• Following a September 2023 coup d'état that ended the Bongo family's rule, Gabon is governed by a transition government led by Brice Oligui Nguema. A new draft constitution adopted in November 2024 introduces presidential term limits and bans family members of a sitting president from running for office, with elections scheduled for 12 April 2025.
• Gabon is the seventh-largest oil producer in Africa and a member of OPEC. To counter the natural depletion of mature fields, the transition government aims to double oil production to 500,000 barrels per day by 2025 by developing offshore, deep-water resources, which constitute over 70% of the country's approximately 2 billion barrels of proven reserves.
• Despite its classification as an upper-middle-income country, Gabon's resource wealth has not led to inclusive growth. Approximately one-third of the population lives in poverty, and the country suffers from high unemployment—especially among youth—and a growing dependence on food imports.

APA

Bello-Schünemann, J., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Gabon: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=GA&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Bello-Schünemann, Julia, and Jakkie Cilliers. Gabon: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=GA&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bello-Schünemann |first1=Julia |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Gabon: Introduction |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=31 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=GA&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{belloschnemann2026gabon, author = {Bello-Schünemann, Julia and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Gabon: Introduction}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=GA&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }