In 2024, Gabon was the world’s second-ranked producer of manganese, accounting for 25% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included cement, gold, and silicomanganese. In 2023, the latest year for which data were available, production of the mining and quarrying sector, not including mineral fuels, accounted for 3.1% of the real gross domestic product (GDP), and mining processing and metallurgy accounted for another 3%. In 2023, the latest year for which data were available, Gabon’s total exports decreased 7.4%, of which manganese accounted for a decrease of 3.4%, and total imports increased 14.5%.
The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Gabon is provided by Mining Code Law No. 037/2018, dated 11 June 2019, which replaced former Law No. 017/2014, dated 30 January 2015, and Law No. 002/2019, which regulated the hydrocarbons sector. The Ministry of Mines is the Government agency responsible for the oversight of the mining industry, including the development of mining conventions and the negotiation of mining agreements and contracts with private investors. Most mineral commodities were produced by private companies, both domestic and international, but the Government has also had a shared participation in some companies, principally producing cement and gold. The main producers of manganese in the country were ERAMET International S.A. of France, which operated the Moanda Mine, near the town of Moanda, through its subsidiary Compagnie Minière de l’Ogooué S.A. (Comilog), and the joint venture between CITIC Dameng Holdings Ltd. (51%) (DAMENG) and Ningbo Huazhou Mining Investment Co. Ltd. (49%), both of China, which owned the M’Bembele Mine located in the Province of Moyen-Ogooue.
