At the end of the first Gabon-France economic forum held on Wednesday 29, which saw the participation of nearly 600 business leaders from both countries, the Gabonese side managed to mobilize more than 1.100 billion euros, including memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed in the presence of the President of the Transition.
Undeniable success this Wednesday, May 29 at the Salons Hoche in Paris where the first Gabon-France economic forum was held, organized by the Federation of Gabonese Enterprises (Feg), the Movement of French Enterprises (Medef) and the Ministry of Economy through the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments of Gabon (ANPI-Gabon). In search of new investors in a context of revitalization of the economic partnership with the former colonizer, Libreville has managed to mobilize more than 739 billion CFA francs, or more than 1.100 billion euros, whose memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed in the presence of General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, on an official visit to France.
Two protocols were notably signed with the French government, the first relating to support for the Transgabonais upgrading program (PRN) and the second relating to the Mindoubé landfill rehabilitation project. Both are declarations of intent, it is specified.
Several other contractual documents were also signed with French and Gabonese companies. These are:
– the Memorandum of Understanding on the development of the Transgabon Railway concession, the amount to be mobilized by the Gabonese State and SETRAG is 470 billion CFA francs;
– the Memorandum of Understanding for the project to modernize water production and distribution infrastructure, between Suez and PAM Saint Gobain and SEEG, for an amount of 118 billion CFA francs over 5 years;
– the Memorandum of Understanding and Partnership relating to the road rehabilitation works in Franceville phase III and the Bifoun-Lambaréné road axis, between the Gabonese State and COLAS, for 76 billion CFA francs;
– the Contract for the financing of port equipment between AGL and BGFIGabon for an amount of 20 billion CFA francs;
– the tripartite agreement between Novea, Comilog and the State for the order of 4,860 street lamps for the State, for 5 billion CFA francs;
– the Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of the Libreville bypass of National Road 1 to the Owendo port area, known as “Owendo Bypass”, signed between the State and the Mika Group and NGE Contracting;
– the Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of an integrated investment program in the steel and derivatives value chain in Gabon, signed between the State and Prométal, for an amount of 30 billion CFA francs and 500 direct jobs to be created.
This forum, which welcomed nearly 600 business leaders from Gabon and France, aimed in particular at “the establishment of a new economic partnership between our two countries, marked by networking between French and Gabonese companies as well as the commitments of Medef and Feg companies to support the implementation of the government’s priority projects”, explains the Government Communication, which considers the results obtained to be “very encouraging”. These are supposed to mark “a new era in economic relations between Gabon and France”.
