Gabon has taken another step toward expanding its domestic mining industry by signing a memorandum of understanding with Chinese company South Manganese Investment Limited to develop a major manganese-processing project in the country.
The memorandum of understanding was signed in China on November 6 by Gabonese Minister of Trade, Industry and Transformation Emmanuel Eyeghe Nze and Zhang He, chairman of South Manganese Investment Limited, according to the Gabonese Press Agency.
The proposed investment is estimated at CFA francs 116.7 billion, equivalent to approximately $200 million. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Transformation said the project would focus on processing manganese from the M’Bembélé deposit in the Ndjolé area. The first phase is expected to produce 180,000 tonnes of processed manganese products annually, with production capacity planned to increase to 1.08 million tonnes per year from 2030.
The initiative is designed as an integrated industrial project, covering ore beneficiation and the development of the energy and logistics infrastructure needed to support operations. These facilities are intended to support the project's operations and strengthen local processing capabilities.
The two sides intend the project to promote job creation, skills transfer, infrastructure development and the local production of higher-value materials. However, the public announcements did not specify the expected number of jobs or provide a construction and commissioning timetable.
The project comes as Gabon seeks to capture more value from its mineral resources rather than relying primarily on the export of raw materials. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Gabon was the world's second-largest manganese producer in 2024, accounting for approximately 25 percent of global output.
The government has set January 1, 2029, as the date for a ban on exports of unprocessed manganese. The policy is intended to encourage domestic processing, strengthen national industrial capabilities and increase the value generated within the country, the Ministry of Mines and Geological Resources said in May 2025.
Against this background, the M’Bembélé project forms part of a broader effort to develop Gabon's mineral-processing industry. However, its planned expansion to more than one million tonnes of annual capacity from 2030 comes after the scheduled start of the raw manganese export ban. The authorities have not yet provided details on the project's implementation timetable or how its different phases will align with the 2029 policy deadline.
For Gabon, the challenge will be to turn the announced investment into operational industrial capacity while ensuring that local businesses and workers benefit from the development of the country's mineral resources.
