Gabon turns mining revenue into local development
Libreville, July 16, 2026 — For decades, African nations have exported vast mineral wealth, only to see mining regions struggle with crumbling infrastructure, weak public services, and a persistent sense of economic exclusion. Gabon is now challenging this long-standing imbalance by redirecting a portion of its mining revenue directly into local development.
The shift comes through a revised agreement between the Gabonese government and Compagnie Minière de l’Ogooué (Comilog), the world’s leading producer of high-grade manganese and a subsidiary of the French group Eramet. Under this framework, 20% of the proportional mining royalty is now allocated to the Local Communities Development Fund. An additional contribution from the extraction tax on quarries operated by Comilog further strengthens this fund, earmarked for mining-producing territories.
This initiative signals a fundamental shift in Gabon’s mining policy. The focus is no longer solely on revenue collection or export growth, but on leveraging natural resources to foster territorial cohesion and human development.
Breaking free from the resource curse
The paradox is well-documented: regions rich in minerals often remain among the poorest on the continent. Gabon, the world’s second-largest manganese producer, has grappled with this reality for years. Mining zones have borne the environmental and social burdens of extraction, yet tangible returns from the extracted wealth have rarely reached these communities.
The reform of the Mining Code, launched in 2019 and reinforced by a 2020 addendum with Comilog, marks a decisive turning point. For the first time, a share of mining revenue is automatically directed to affected communities, independent of national budget decisions.
This approach aligns Gabon with successful models in countries like Botswana and Canada, where social acceptance of mining hinges on a fairer distribution of benefits. By ensuring that local populations directly benefit from resource extraction, Gabon is redefining the terms of its mining industry’s legitimacy.
A shared governance model
The mechanism operates through a tripartite governance structure involving the state, local authorities, and the mining operator. The Shared Management Committee sets strategic priorities, while the Operational Management Committee oversees technical execution and project implementation. This structure prevents investments from being dictated solely from administrative capitals, ensuring decisions reflect on-the-ground realities.
Funds are channeled into public infrastructure, collective facilities, healthcare centers, schools, water access, local economic activities, and job creation. Early results are already visible. According to Comilog’s figures, 26 community projects were completed by 2025 under these financing mechanisms, totaling nearly 8.5 billion CFA francs in investments and benefiting approximately 240,000 people in mining basins. In a country of fewer than three million inhabitants, these figures underscore the transformative potential of the initiative.
Pioneering a new African mining contract
The stakes extend far beyond Gabon’s borders. Global demand for strategic minerals is surging, driven by the energy transition, electrification of transport, and digital transformation. Manganese, essential for battery production and industrial technologies, lies at the heart of this economic shift.
Central Africa holds a significant share of the world’s reserves of these critical minerals. The question is no longer how much the continent will export, but what proportion of this wealth will remain to finance education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic diversification.
Comilog has committed to supporting this transition by fostering local entrepreneurship, vocational training, and income-generating activities to reduce the dependence of mining territories on extractive activities alone. If this vision is sustained, Gabon could emerge as a pioneer in redefining the relationship between mining, the state, and communities in Africa.
In the 21st century, the true value of a mine is no longer measured solely by exported tonnage or dividends. It is measured by the schools built, the businesses launched, the sustainable jobs created, and the opportunities offered to future generations. This is the yardstick by which Africa’s mining giants will be judged—and it is where Gabon is making its stand.
