Haut-Ogooue

Haut-Ogooue province contains 25% of the world's manganese reserves and hosts the Moanda mine, operated by COMILOG (a subsidiary of French mining giant Eramet), which produced 7.5 million tonnes of high-grade ore in 2022. The deposit stands as Africa's third-largest manganese reserve, with ore exceeding 50% manganese content—among the richest globally. This single province positions Gabon as a critical supplier of a metal essential for steel production and increasingly for battery manufacturing.

The province demonstrates how mineral wealth creates path dependence in peripheral regions. Manganese was first reported near Franceville in 1895; systematic exploration began in 1951 when a joint mission discovered deposits exceeding 100 million tonnes. COMILOG formed in 1953 with U.S. Steel owning nearly half the company, establishing extraction infrastructure that has shaped regional development for seven decades. Nouvelle Gabon Mining adds capacity with two facilities producing 2 million tonnes annually.

Haut-Ogooue also hosts uranium deposits at Mounana, making it a diversified mining center. The uranium-bearing mineral francevillite takes its name from Franceville, the provincial capital. As Gabon diversifies away from oil, the province's mineral resources become increasingly central to national economic strategy. The government aims to license 50 exploration projects annually and double mining exports to $1 billion, with Haut-Ogooue's manganese and uranium central to that ambition.