French mining group Eramet has pledged to safeguard over 10,000 jobs in Gabon as Libreville pushes forward with a plan to ban raw manganese exports from 2029.
The move, led by President Brice Oligui Nguema, was announced at the weekend as part of a broader national strategy to industrialise Gabon's economy and add more value to its abundant natural resources.
Eramet, the main shareholder in Comilog - Gabon's leading manganese mining firm - said it has acknowledged the government's decision and will continue to engage with officials "in a spirit of constructive partnership and mutual respect".
The French firm also committed to preserving the 10,460 local jobs sustained by Comilog and its transport arm, Setrag.
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President Oligui, who took power following a 2023 coup and was elected in April 2025 with nearly 95 percent of the vote, is seeking to reshape Gabon's economic model.
Manganese - a key ingredient in steelmaking and increasingly in electric vehicle batteries - is one of Gabon's top export earners alongside oil and timber.
The export ban on unprocessed manganese, which will take effect from 1 January 2029, is designed to encourage local processing, upskill the workforce, and boost tax revenues.
"Gabon is giving the mining sector three years to prepare," the government said in a statement on Saturday, outlining plans to support the transition with a new public-private investment fund.
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The policy shift echoes a growing trend across Africa, with countries such as Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania also moving to retain more value from their mineral wealth by restricting raw material exports and encouraging domestic refining and processing.
Eramet - which operates the world's largest manganese mine at Moanda - processes some ore locally in Gabon but still relies heavily on exports to international markets including China, Europe, and the United States.
The company had temporarily suspended operations in Gabon during the 2023 coup and scaled back production targets in 2024 amid market headwinds.
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Stock market turbulence
Shares in Eramet fell by over five percent in Paris on Monday following news of the ban, before recovering slightly to trade 4 percent lower by mid-morning.
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Analysts say the impact of the export restrictions will depend on how quickly Gabon and its partners can develop local processing capacity.
Despite its natural wealth, around one-third of Gabon's 2.3 million people live in poverty.
The government hopes that keeping more of the value chain within the country will change that.
While the path ahead presents challenges, there are signs of optimism, as Eramet has already shown its willingness to adapt in Indonesia, where it recently signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in local nickel processing - a similar transition, after Jakarta banned raw nickel exports.
