Gabon pushes AfCFTA export growth and a one‑stop border post with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea

Gabon and the AfCFTA Secretariat agreed to deepen cooperation on industrial development, export growth and trade facilitation. Officials highlighted the Nkok Special Economic Zone, which hosts more than 150 companies producing value‑added wood products, as a flagship of Gabon's strategy to move from raw timber exports to higher‑value industrial output.

Discussions also advanced a proposed one‑stop border post at Kye‑Ossi, linking Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The facility aims to integrate customs procedures, cut transit times and lower transport costs along a key Central African trade corridor, addressing long‑standing non‑tariff barriers that hinder intra‑regional commerce.

The cooperation is framed within the African Continental Free Trade Area, which offers access to a market of about 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3 trillion. By improving export capacity and reducing logistical hurdles, Gabon seeks to boost participation in continental trade and attract further investment to its industrial zones.