Libreville, July 16, 2026 — For decades, Africa has extracted its mineral wealth to fuel global industries while leaving nearby communities with crumbling infrastructure, weak public services, and a persistent sense of economic exclusion. The Gabonese Republic is now challenging this long-standing imbalance by channeling a portion of its mining revenue directly into local development.

Under an agreement between the Gabonese government and Comilog—the world’s leading high-grade manganese producer and a subsidiary of France’s Eramet Group—20% of the proportional mining royalty is now allocated to the Local Communities Development Fund. An additional share from the extraction tax on quarries operated by the company further boosts this fund, earmarked for mining regions.

This shift reflects a fundamental change in Gabon’s mining policy. The focus is no longer solely on tax revenue or export volumes but on transforming natural resources into tools for territorial cohesion and human development.

Breaking free from the resource curse

The paradox of resource-rich regions remaining among the poorest on the continent has haunted African economies for generations.

Gabon, the world’s second-largest manganese producer, is no stranger to this dilemma. Mining zones have long borne the environmental and social burdens of extraction without consistently benefiting from visible returns on their underground wealth.

The 2019 revision of the Mining Code and the subsequent 2020 addendum with Comilog represent a significant turning point. For the first time, a portion of mining revenue is automatically directed to affected communities, bypassing national budgetary arbitrations.

This model aligns Gabon with successful approaches seen in countries like Botswana and Canada, where social acceptance of mining hinges on fairer profit-sharing.

Shared governance in action

The initiative operates through a tripartite governance structure involving the state, local authorities, and the mining operator. The Partnership Management Committee sets strategic priorities, while the Operational Management Committee oversees technical execution and project implementation. This structure ensures investments are not dictated solely from administrative capitals but reflect local realities.

Funded initiatives span public infrastructure, communal facilities, healthcare centers, schools, water access, local economic ventures, and job creation. Early results are already visible.

According to Comilog’s latest figures, 26 community projects were completed by 2025 under this funding mechanism, totaling nearly 8.5 billion CFA francs in investments benefiting around 240,000 people in mining basins—a significant impact in a country of fewer than three million inhabitants.

Pioneering a new African mining contract

The stakes extend far beyond Gabon’s borders. Global demand for strategic minerals is surging, driven by the energy transition, electrification of transport, and digital innovation. Manganese has become critical for battery manufacturing and tomorrow’s industrial technologies.

Central Africa holds a substantial share of the mineral reserves essential to this new global economy.

The real question is no longer how much mineral wealth Africa will export, but what portion of these resources will remain to finance education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic diversification.

Comilog has pledged to support this transition by fostering local entrepreneurship, vocational training, and income-generating activities to gradually reduce communities’ dependence on extractive industries alone.

If this vision endures, Gabon could emerge as a leading African example of a new contract between mining industries, the state, and populations.

In the 21st century, the true measure of a mine’s wealth lies not only in exported tons or dividends paid but in the schools built, businesses launched, sustainable jobs created, and opportunities provided for future generations. It is on this foundation that the legitimacy of Africa’s major mining powers will ultimately be judged.