The decision, notified by the Secretary General of the Ministry, General of Division Adolphe Yonghan, follows the success of the "Ekura" security operation. Conducted in Punga, in the province of Ngounié, the intervention of the defense forces resulted in the arrest of 55 illegal operators, including 28 Chinese nationals, 21 Gabonese, three Ghanaians, two Cameroonians, and one Burkinabé.

The crackdown revealed a sophisticated industrial logistics operation, including the seizure of nine vehicles, heavy earthmoving equipment, molds for gold ingots, and 480 grams of raw gold. The state apparatus is thus attempting to stem a massive capital flight, while the Equatorial Mining Company (SEM) estimates the underground economy of the gold sector at two tons per year, representing nearly 90% of the country's real national production. Smuggling deprives the public coffers of significant customs duties at a time when Libreville is seeking to mitigate the structural decline in oil revenues through increased taxation of the subsoil, directly impacting structured operators such as the Managem group or the Emiga firm.

The 2026 revised finance law includes a formalization objective aimed at increasing official production to 800 kilograms of gold, compared to an average of 400 kilograms in previous campaigns. The regulated marketing of gold aims to generate an estimated gross value of 65 billion CFA francs. The financial indicators of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) already highlighted a surge in legal exports, from 24 billion to 68.1 billion CFA francs. The overall cleanup of Gabon's gold sector is increasing pressure on neighboring countries, particularly Cameroon, which face similar problems of fraudulent gold panning but have not yet opted for a generalized moratorium on artisanal concessions.


Ndjomo Carlos

Tags: orpaillage gabon sécurisation exploitation illégale contrebande économie souterraine mines or brut fiscalisation loi de finances