Gabon international security and economic engagement

Gabon is engaging in various international initiatives focused on security, finance, and diplomacy.

In Libreville, the Africa Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference (ASELC) 2026 has begun. Co-organized with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the forum brings together senior non-commissioned officers from across Africa to enhance security cooperation and increase the autonomy of African partners in managing security operations.

In the financial sector, the Gabonese reinsurer SCG-Ré is participating in a seminar in Accra, Ghana, alongside Ghana Re. This initiative involves delegations from nine African nations and is part of a strategy to expand SCG-Ré’s presence within the broader African reinsurance market.

Diplomatic and economic efforts in China have expanded. Following Guy Bertrand Mapangou’s attendance at the 2026 China Economic and Social Forum in Hangzhou to advocate for inclusive multilateralism, Gabon’s Minister of Mines and Geological Resources, Sosthène Nguema Nguema, presented the nation’s mining strategy at the China Mining Conference and Exhibition in Tianjin. The minister highlighted a transition from a rent-based economy toward an integrated mining economy. This strategy emphasizes a “win-win” cooperation model centered on local value addition and resource transformation to promote sustainable industrialization and job creation, moving away from a sole reliance on raw material exports.

Furthering these ties, Guy Bertrand Mapangou, president of the Economic, Social, Environmental and Cultural Council (CESEC), led a delegation to the China-Africa Economic and Social Forum in Hangzhou from September 14 to 16. During the forum, Mapangou met with Wang Dongfeng, president of the Chinese Economic and Social Council, to discuss expanding the bilateral partnership beyond infrastructure, trade, and natural resources to include political, cultural, and social dimensions, as well as inclusive development and governance.