Mabounié project plans $2 billion investment in Gabon
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Alwihda Info
The Mabounié niobium and rare earths project represents a $2 billion investment and is expected to create more than 2,500 direct jobs, according to the promoters presented to Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. The technical study is being conducted by NEM, Dusk Gabon and ENFI, with processing planned locally.
The Mabounié niobium and rare earths project in Gabon represents a $2 billion investment and is expected to create more than 2,500 direct jobs, according to Alwihda Info. The technical study was presented to Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema by Emirati group NEM and its subsidiary Dusk Gabon, with Chinese engineering firm ENFI.
The project plans to process the minerals locally. It is one of several industrial projects examined during Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's state visit to Beijing on Friday 6 November 2026, including a new refinery backed by SOGARA and its partners, whose construction is due to begin in the first quarter of 2028.
The Gabonese delegation also discussed with CNOOC, holder of the permit for the Léopard gas field off Gamba, the installation of a pipeline to transport gas onshore. Chinese equipment manufacturer SDLG also announced its intention to open an assembly plant in the Nkok economic zone and train young Gabonese there, according to Alwihda Info.
The 6 November visit came after Oligui Nguema announced on 3 November his intention to convert the Chinese partnership into investments and after the signing on 6 November of six cooperation agreements between Gabon and China, according to previous announcements reported by Alwihda Info. It also came the day after the presentation of SOGARA's new refinery project, under which Gabon plans to triple its refining capacity.
