Gabon, an upper-middle-income country, was able to develop its economy by utilizing two main natural resources: manganese and oil. Gabon is among the top three manganese producers of the world, and one of the top five oil producers in the South of the Sahara Africa. In 2013, the Oxford Business Group reported that the Gabon Mining Union was composed of primarily Manganese miners. Other minerals in the country include talc, barite, gold, zinc, and more. 

Due to Gabon’s high volume of natural resources, the country has attracted interest from European entities such as France and the EU, both of whom made direct investments in Gabon’s mining sector. Gabon intentionally developed its sector based on foreign investment aid, continuing a twisted relationship between Europe and the rich soil of Africa, even after colonization. The French business ERAMET, for example, is the dominant mineral extractor in Gabon, according to the Oxford Business Group. 

COVID-19 negatively affected Gabon’s economy. In 2020, Gabon’s oil production dropped 21%, and inflation increased, along with a reduction in GDP from 3.9% in 2019 to 2.7% in 2020. French is the national language of the country. In 2017, the World Bank reported that 33.4% of the Gabonese population lived in poverty. Bantu groups dominate the country, with one of the most dominant groups being the Fang tribe. 

(Members of the Baka tribe. Image by Corinne Staley via Flickr)

The first known settlers in Gabon are the Baka tribe, who are known to some as Pygmies, although the latter mentioned term may be derogatory to some. They settled in the forests of Gabon and were forced to migrate for survival, as they face discrimination from tribes such as the Fang, who pushed them out of the forests into villages on the exterior of their previous dwellings.

Among each other, the Baka tribe is known as the Bayaka tribe. This group, mostly hunters and gatherers, exists in Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo. Baka peoples are short in stature and utilize specified plantlife to maintain their way of living. However, due to factors like deforestation, cultural conservatism from the Fang tribe and more, their customs continue to be threatened.

Works Cited

https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/added-potential-going-beyond-manganese-other-minerals

https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/gabon

https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Gabon-Manganese-Ores-Mining

https://data.worldbank.org/country/gabon

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=f4ae67f5faf0454f8b51ed8124a14f0d

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fang-people

https://www.britannica.com/place/Gabon

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/gabon/overview

https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/blog/flag-week-gabon

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