Gabon launches Kobe-Kobe deep-water port to boost economic sovereignty
Gabon’s economic strategy, focused on achieving tangible results, is beginning to show promise. The country is aiming high, betting on becoming a mining and industrial hub in Central Africa by 2030. Just over a month after signing a strategic agreement with Africa Global Logistics (AGL) for the Kobe-Kobe project, the government is also prioritising national infrastructure development.
Determined to move forward, President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema officially laid the cornerstone for the Kobe-Kobe deep-water port on Monday, June 8, 2026.
This ambitious project includes a mineral terminal, a multi-purpose and mineral wharf, a railway loop, a residential area, cargo storage zones, and office spaces. Through this integrative initiative, Gabon is asserting its goal to process its raw materials locally. In practice, this economic sovereignty is being built with international economic partners from all five continents. Each partner has a role to play: mining, iron, processing plants, and more. The idea is to ensure cohesive work. “Everyone must work and produce results,” the head of state emphasised.
“Today, we are not just launching an infrastructure site. We are laying the foundations of a new development model based on industrialisation, local value creation, territorial integration, and Gabon’s logistical sovereignty. Your ambition is clear: to make Gabon a key player in regional logistics and a strategic hub in Central Africa. That ambition is now taking concrete form,” said the Minister of Transport and Merchant Shipping, Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi.
This project is among the five largest mining projects in the world. Philippe Labone, CEO of AGL, stated that “exports from the Kobe-Kobe port will begin in April 2031.”
The accompanying railway corridor will stretch nearly 550 kilometres, linking production sites to the port complex with a travel time of around eight hours.
Studies have already commenced, and AGL announced that young Gabonese will be sent for training to be at the heart of this process.
In figures, the project is expected to generate over 100,000 jobs, boost the gross domestic product (GDP) by more than 50%, and deliver an annual value exceeding $10 billion.
