Afreximbank forecasts 3.3% growth for Gabon in 2026
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sierra Leone Telegraph
The African Export-Import Bank estimates that Gabon’s real growth could reach 3.3% in 2026, driven by higher hydrocarbons revenues, with inflation forecast at 2.3%. Its report also highlights the continuing dependence on oil exports and manganese’s potential to diversify the economy, according to the Sierra Leone Telegraph.
Afreximbank forecasts real growth in Gabon to accelerate to 3.3% in 2026, driven by higher hydrocarbons revenues. Inflation is expected to stand at 2.3%, below the CEMAC regional threshold, according to the African Export-Import Bank’s Country Brief on Gabon, cited by the Sierra Leone Telegraph.
Gabon’s trade in goods and services rose from $9.1 billion in 2020 to $17.4 billion in 2024, with a trade surplus maintained throughout the period. Afreximbank nevertheless highlights the concentration of exports in crude oil, while the country is among the world’s leading producers of manganese, which is used notably in steel and electric vehicle batteries.
The Gabonese government is seeking to diversify the economy through special economic zones, including Nkok near Libreville, as well as the Inkolo and Mpassa-Lebombi sites. A ban on exports of raw manganese is planned from January 2029 to promote local processing. Public investment in infrastructure reached $197 million in 2025, compared with $81 million in 2024.
The forecast comes after the adoption, on 20 September, of Gabon’s 2027 budget, set at 6,223.1 billion CFA francs. It also follows the publication, on 26 October, of a report on the rise in the Gabonese National Assembly’s wage bill, which increased by 47.4%.
