🇬🇦 Gabon

Gabon is one of Africa's wealthiest countries per capita — a Central African nation of just 2.3 million with a GDP of about $20 billion, giving it a per capita income around $8,600. Oil has been the driver since the 1970s, but production is declining. The country is 88% rainforest, one of the highest forest cover rates in the world, and has created 13 national parks covering 11% of its territory. The Bongo family ruled for 56 years until a military coup in 2023 ended the dynasty. Libreville, the capital, is expensive — it's one of the priciest cities in Africa.

Oil accounts for about 75% of exports and 45% of government revenue, but production has fallen from a peak of 370,000 barrels per day to about 200,000. Manganese (Gabon is the world's second-largest producer), timber, and palm oil are the other exports. France remains the dominant trade partner and investor. The government is trying to develop eco-tourism and timber processing to diversify, but progress is slow.

Gabon's Lopé National Park contains both rainforest and savanna, with the oldest rock art in West-Central Africa dating back 400,000 years. The country has one of the highest rates of forest elephant density in Africa. Albert Schweitzer's famous hospital in Lambaréné, where the Nobel laureate worked for decades, is still operating.

The 2023 coup reset Gabon's political trajectory, but the economic challenge remains the same: declining oil and no clear replacement. The forest and biodiversity assets are undermonetized.