Gabon is preparing to participate as a guest of honor at the Africa Accelerating 2024 Conference to be held in Canada from November 18 to 20, 2024. Led by the Prime Minister of the Transition, Raymond Ndong Sima, a cabinet meeting was held on September 25 to discuss Gabon’s strategic objectives. This meeting aims to promote investment opportunities and strengthen economic relations between Gabon and Canada, particularly through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Gabon intends to take advantage of its participation in the Africa Accelerating 2024 Conference to consolidate its role on the international scene and attract foreign investors. During a cabinet meeting chaired by Raymond Ndong Sima, Prime Minister of the Transition, discussions focused on the preparations and economic challenges of this major event. The meeting is part of Gabon’s new economic strategy, which aims to diversify its partners and attract foreign capital, particularly in the timber, mining and seafood processing sectors.
According to the Minister of Communication and Media, Laurence Ndong, “it will be a question of presenting Gabon’s investment opportunities, particularly in the context of PPPs. We must not position ourselves as simple applicants, but rather highlight what we can bring in this cooperation with Canada .” This proactive approach marks a turning point in the way Gabon approaches its economic partnerships, with the ambition of obtaining concrete results in terms of development and jobs.
The transitional government, through this participation in the multi-sectoral conference, intends to lay the foundations for win-win cooperation. The preferred areas for this collaboration include mining, particularly marble, manganese and other rare metals, as well as the processing of wood and tuna. “Wood is a particularly strategic area for Canada, which builds a lot with this material. There is therefore enormous potential for local processing, which creates jobs here in Gabon ,” added the minister.
Raymond Ndong Sima also stressed that this participation is part of the vision of the President of the Transition, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who is working to restore Gabon’s dignity on the international scene. “We are no longer going on missions to simply participate, but to bring back concrete results that will impact our economy and our society ,” he said.
The Africa Accelerating 2024 Conference program will take place in Ottawa and Toronto, with parliamentary meetings and engagements with key Canadian business and industry associations. For Gabon, this meeting offers an ideal platform to showcase its strengths and attract investments that will contribute to the diversification of its economy.
