Book: “Gabon’s Untapped Economic Opportunity” | Gabonreview.com

On the occasion of the 2024-2025 literary season, Club Lyre, on November 9, 2024, Guy Kassa Koumba, engineer and essayist, presented his work “Gabon’s untapped economic opportunity: local content in the oil industry “. This book is intended to be a wake-up call on the urgency for Gabon to take ownership of its economic development. Through his experiences and successful models, the author highlights the blockages, but also the avenues for initiating a paradigm shift in favor of local actors, national employment, and the Gabonese economy.

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, the Lyre Club inaugurated its 2024-2025 literary season at Omar Bongo University with the presentation of Guy Kassa Koumba’s essay, entitled “Gabon’s untapped economic opportunity: local content in the oil industry. This work is both a critical analysis and a plea for the Gabonese to take the reins of their own economic development. A former engineer with 27 years of experience in an international oil company, Kassa Koumba draws on his experiences to invite the Gabonese to invest in local content and actively participate in the growth of their country.

Throughout this essay, the author describes local content as an essential way to ensure better participation of Gabonese people in the oil industry, today dominated by foreign skills. “The opportunity for local content must be seized by all of society,” he asserts forcefully, insisting on the need for collective involvement to build a more autonomous and prosperous Gabon.

The work is divided into two large sections: a severe but necessary inventory of the current situation of the oil industry in Gabon, followed by concrete proposals to reverse the trend. For the author, although the legal framework for local content already exists, its application remains hampered by a lack of will and awareness. “Local content laws exist and are not implemented,” he explains. Kassa Koumba argues that without an effort from civil society, this economic lever cannot be exploited to its full potential.

Among the solutions he mentions, the author proposes initiatives aimed at strengthening the skills of nationals, encouraging local manufacturing and prioritizing Gabonese origins in the allocation of jobs and services. These recommendations are based on examples of success in Africa, notably in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Angola, countries where the entrepreneurial spirit and patriotism have compensated for the weaknesses of political frameworks. “We all need to change the paradigm and work to change things,” he proclaims.

But why such interest in Gabon when Kassa Koumba evolved in an international framework? According to him, the country’s potential remains underexploited despite its significant natural resources. Throughout the pages, the author expresses his regret at seeing oil towns like Port-Gentil and Gamba deprived of the socio-economic development that is their due. He also highlights the abandonment of the Yenzi city and the Gamba airport as “poignant” examples of collective inconsistency.
Guy Kassa Koumba therefore calls for national introspection. For him, the key lies in the commitment of the Gabonese to act and not to expect everything from public authorities. “It’s all of us to blame,” he says, recalling that everyone has a role to play in transforming this opportunity into economic and social success. His essay is an invitation to initiate a debate on these development issues, so that Gabonese society can emancipate itself from patterns of dependence and seize the benefits of a more inclusive economic model.

The presentation of this work at the Lyre Club will perhaps mark a turning point in the way Gabon approaches its economic development. By hoping that the debate continues beyond the pages of this book, Guy Kassa Koumba offers a glimmer of hope to a Gabonese society in search of economic renewal based on responsibility and autonomy.