Interview: Patrick Claes What measures are being taken to upgrade and improve Gabon’s current railway capacity? PATRICK CLAES: The Transgabonais currently offers eight to nine daily commercial train slots, which is below the 16 daily slots the network could potentially accommodate. The main reason for this gap is the ageing infrastructure, which restricts the speed of traffic. Setrag is committed…
With improvements to the road, rail, shipping and aviation networks a key government goal, Gabon’s transport sector is undergoing a major transformation. While population pressure is modest, with around 1.7m people in the country, existing links are limited; the two largest cities, Libreville and Port-Gentil, had, until work began on one recently, no road connection. Beyond improving internal connectivity…
Africa’s economies have posted impressive growth rates in recent years, giving rise to the narrative of “Africa Rising”. The continent’s GDP growth of roughly 5% annually comes in spite of its lack of infrastructure, but the deficit cuts growth by an estimated two percentage points and productivity by 40%, according to the World Bank. According to an assessment by the African Development Bank,…
Transport in Gabon is in the midst of a major transformation as authorities work to improve the quality and availability of infrastructure to link the country’s transport systems. One of the most notable of these initiatives is the construction of a new road that will effectively link Gabon’s second-biggest city and economic hub, Port-Gentil, to the capital, Libreville, and to the country’s main…
Given the decline in oil prices from mid-2014 on, the government’s drive to diversify the economy away from its traditional reliance on hydrocarbons in line with its Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan has taken on greater importance. Drawing on its sizeable timber and mineral reserves, Gabon aims to develop new industries and boost domestic value added with the ultimate goal of achieving emerging mar
With improvements to the road, rail, shipping and aviation networks a key goal, Gabon’s transport sector is undergoing a major transformation. While population pressure is modest, existing links are limited: the two largest cities, Libreville and Port-Gentil, had, until work began on one recently, no road connection. Beyond improving internal connectivity and expanding capacity at international gateways…
Interview:Takao Omori To what extent do West and Central Africa need improved port infrastructure? TAKAO OMORI: The West African network is one of the most in need of regional trans-shipment centres, with Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria both offering possibilities. The West African market could also contain the Central African regions, which might be serviced by hubs at Pointe-Noire, for instance.…
Interview:Frank Legré What are the main constraints that airlines have to overcome in Africa? FRANK LEGRÉ: The first major constraint concerns the cost of operating on the whole continent, which is eventually transferred to the price of tickets, a fact that can sometimes be hard for customers to understand. Other factors, such as the costs associated with fuel, ground-handling companies,…
Transport and logistics in Gabon are in the midst of a major transformation. The condition and availability of infrastructure have long been a stumbling block – in particular, the shortage of paved roads, which in effect cuts off much of the country’s interior from the capital and other key cities, especially during the rainy season. Congestion at its ports, too, has been a problem for many years,…
The nation’s road transport network is suffering from a lack of paved roads, inadequate water drainage infrastructure and damage from heavy vehicles. Respondents to the World Economic Forum’s 2013-14 “Global Competitiveness Report” ranked the country’s road infrastructure in 140th place out of 149 countries, on a score of 2.3 out of 7. With the government now focused on transport infrastructure,…
