Gabon’s Bold Move: Safeguarding Jobs and Economy with Manganese Export Ban
In a significant development, French mining group Eramet has pledged to protect over 10,000 jobs in Gabon as the country prepares to ban raw manganese exports from 2029. This move, led by President Brice Oligui Nguema, is part of a broader strategy to industrialize Gabon’s economy and add value to its abundant natural resources. As the main shareholder in Comilog, Gabon’s leading manganese mining firm, Eramet has acknowledged the government’s decision and committed to preserving the 10,460 local jobs sustained by Comilog and its transport arm, Setrag.
The export ban on unprocessed manganese is designed to encourage local processing, upskill the workforce, and boost tax revenues. With manganese being a key ingredient in steelmaking and increasingly in electric vehicle batteries, Gabon hopes to retain more value from its mineral wealth. The government has given the mining sector three years to prepare for the transition, with plans to support the shift through a new public-private investment fund.
This policy shift echoes a growing trend across Africa, with countries like Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania also moving to restrict raw material exports and encourage domestic refining and processing. Eramet, which operates the world’s largest manganese mine at Moanda, processes some ore locally in Gabon but still relies heavily on exports to international markets. The company has shown its willingness to adapt to similar transitions, having recently signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in local nickel processing in Indonesia after Jakarta banned raw nickel exports.
The impact of the export restrictions will depend on how quickly Gabon and its partners can develop local processing capacity. Despite its natural wealth, around one-third of Gabon’s 2.3 million people live in poverty. The government hopes that keeping more of the value chain within the country will change this, and with Eramet’s commitment to safeguarding jobs, there are signs of optimism for the future. As Gabon embarks on this new economic path, the world watches with interest, eager to see the outcomes of this bold move to industrialize and add value to its natural resources.
