Ghana-Gabon Push Trade, Mining and Security Partnership

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama and Gabon’s President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema have held bilateral discussions at the Jubilee House in Accra, focusing on strengthening the Ghana-Gabon partnership in trade, mining, investment, education and security.

The meeting formed part of President Oligui Nguema’s three-day state visit to Ghana, aimed at consolidating relations between the two countries.

The discussions centered on transforming longstanding diplomatic ties into a more practical economic and strategic partnership, with both leaders highlighting opportunities in industrialization, natural resource governance, regional integration and maritime security.

President Mahama said Ghana and Gabon must deepen cooperation to create tangible benefits for their citizens and contribute to Africa’s broader development agenda.

“I’m deeply honoured by your visit and believe that your decision to undertake this visit to Ghana reflects our personal friendship as leaders of our two countries, but it also reflects the desire that our two governments have to consolidate the longstanding bonds of friendship between our two nations into a more purposeful, ambitious and mutually beneficial partnership” President Mahama stated.

He noted that Ghana and Gabon had maintained more than six decades of relations built on mutual respect, solidarity and a shared commitment to Pan-African ideals, peace, security, democratic governance and sustainable development.

President Mahama also acknowledged Gabon’s support for Ghana at the United Nations General Assembly, describing the cooperation between both countries within international institutions as part of efforts to promote a more united and prosperous Africa.

He emphasized that expanding trade and investment must remain central to the relationship between Ghana and Gabon, particularly as African countries seek solutions to economic uncertainties, climate challenges and security concerns.

He said Ghana, as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, remains committed to advancing intra-African trade, industrialization and economic integration.

“We look forward to working closely with Gabon to ensure that our businesses, our investors and more importantly, our citizens are able to benefit fully from the vast opportunities offered by the African continental market”.

The Ghanaian leader called for stronger private sector partnerships and increased investment flows between both countries in areas including manufacturing, agribusiness, transport and logistics, infrastructure development, financial services and value addition.

According to him, deeper commercial exchanges would stimulate economic growth, create decent jobs and improve the competitiveness of both economies.

Agriculture and fisheries were also identified as key areas for collaboration. President Mahama said Ghana and Gabon, as maritime nations with significant natural resources, could work together in sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture development, fish processing, climate-smart agriculture, agricultural research and food security.

The two leaders also discussed opportunities in the mining sector, with President Mahama stressing the importance of responsible resource management and value addition.

He said cooperation between Ghana and Gabon could promote local content development, mineral beneficiation, environmental protection and transparent management of natural resources.

President Oligui Nguema congratulated Ghana on its efforts to transform raw materials locally and praised reforms in Gabon’s mining sector aimed at improving transparency, governance and value creation.

He highlighted the importance of local processing, referencing Ghana’s cocoa industry and Gabon’s efforts to transform its own resources.

“Ghana is into cocoa processing as we are also doing in Gabon, and we are also looking to locally transform our manganese, and I think that this is a very important vision because transforming enough gives us more wealth, a greater value, and gives employment opportunities to our youth who are looking up to us” Gabon’s President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema stated.

President Oligui Nguema added that value addition represented a pathway for African countries to create wealth and expand opportunities for young people.

The leaders also identified education and human capital development as important pillars of the Ghana-Gabon partnership. President Mahama called for stronger collaboration between universities, technical institutions and research centres through scholarships, scientific exchanges and skills training programmes.

President Oligui Nguema expressed appreciation for Ghana’s support towards Gabonese students studying in Accra and indicated that the number of students could increase following changes affecting foreign scholarships in France.

“We cannot compromise the future of our youth, and also the construction of our universities in Gabon, because scholarship fees in France have increased, and we have decided to redirect our youth to other African countries to receive the same training that is available in our fellow African countries”.

The Gabonese leader also praised Ghana’s decision to promote free movement of goods and services, describing it as a step towards advancing Pan-Africanism and regional integration.

Climate cooperation featured prominently in President Mahama’s remarks, with both countries expected to explore collaboration in biodiversity conservation, carbon markets, renewable energy, climate resilience and sustainable forest management.

Security cooperation, particularly within the Gulf of Guinea, was another major focus of the discussions. President Mahama said both countries had a shared interest in combating maritime piracy, illegal fishing and threats affecting the marine environment while promoting the blue economy.

President Oligui Nguema reaffirmed Gabon’s commitment to strengthening cooperation on maritime security and broader regional peace efforts.

“We want to deepen common efforts to fight against maritime piracy, illegal traffic, and all other threats that affect maritime security. Africa must be able to strengthen its peace and security and have it in their own hands,” he said.