[Ferro-Alloys.com]  Chinese companies visited Gabon Establish Industrial Zone With a Factory Dedicated to Manganese Processing

Recently, a delegation composed of several Chinese companies visited Gabon. It met with Gabonese authorities to explore industrial opportunities offered by the national policy of promoting natural resources. These companies expressed their intention to quickly establish an industrial zone with a factory dedicated to manganese processing in the country.

"Our objectives, as well as our implementation methods, are in line with the local manganese processing policy established by your authorities, which will take effect in 2029. We plan to establish an industrial zone with a factory dedicated to manganese processing," said the representative of Inner Mongolia Xinchuan Metallurgy, a company active in the processing of manganese into alloys. For Gilles Nembé, Gabon's Minister of Mines and Geological Resources, this approach is “perfectly consistent with our national strategy, which aims to make Gabon a competitive industrial hub in the mining sector.”

Currently, Gabonese manganese production, largely handled by Comilog, a subsidiary of the French group Eramet, is exported without processing. This is a situation that the authorities wish to change quickly. The establishment of local factories would not only reduce dependence on foreign markets, but also develop national technical skills and promote diversification of the economy, which is still heavily dependent on mining exports.

Gabon, the world's second largest producer of manganese, is attracting more and more foreign investors drawn by its relative stability and mining potential. Prior to the Chinese delegation, a Japanese group had already announced in July its intention to invest in the construction of a processing plant. These initiatives are in line with the gradual industrialization sought by the President of the Republic, who has made the local processing of raw materials a pillar of national economic policy.

The growing interest from Asian companies illustrates international confidence in Gabon's industrial trajectory. If the announced projects come to fruition, they could mark a major turning point for Gabon's mining sector, placing the country among Africa's leaders in metal processing. By combining foreign investment, technology transfer, and local development, Gabon hopes to build a more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable mining economy.

• [Editor:tianyawei]