Vol 7 (AAC) No 1 | GABONASIA Trees fall in the forest 4th November 2013 Inspections of Asian timber firms reveal violations of forestry laws by companies in Woleu-Ntem and Ogooué-Ivindo provinces The Direction Provinciale des Eaux et Forets du Woleu-Ntem shut down the sawmill of the Société Linshen Gabon on 18 October. Inspectors found that the Chinese company was...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 9 | GABONCHINA Tax troubles but business buoyant 2nd July 2013 Despite the legal actions and environmental problems, relations between the governments of Gabon and China are still strong Punitive action against a Chinese oil company following a tax dispute has not undercut Libreville-Beijing ties. Although the government revoked Sinopec-owned Addax Petroleum’s oil permit in Obangue in...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 7 | GABONINDIASINGAPORE Middleman at the gate 2nd May 2013 On 26 April at the Libreville headquarters of Oil India Limited, Paul Maurice Tomo lay shirtless on the ground in front of a painted sheet that read:...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 6 | GABONCHINA Extractive pains 4th April 2013 Addax Petroleum, the Swiss-based oil company acquired by China’s Sinopec in August 2009, is the latest firm to enter into a dispute with Gabon as President Ali Bongo...
Vol 53 No 15 | GABONGUINEA Sam with a plan 19th July 2012 The fog around Samuel Mebiame is clearing. His signature appears,along with those of ministers Mohamed Lamine Fofana and KerfallaYansané, on the controversial loan Guinea took from the South...
Vol 53 No 11 | GABONSOUTH AFRICAAFRICAN UNION Entente absente 25th May 2012 Efforts to negotiate a compromise between Gabon and South Africa over the contest for the presidency of the African Union Commission are faltering. This is unlikely to...
Vol 53 No 3 | GABON Unity is for others 3rd February 2012 The Gabonese government preaches African unity but finds it harder to practice. After spending tens of millions of dollars on stadia and associated infrastructure, it...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | GABONASIA Mixed messages 3rd September 2012 The Parti Démocratique Gabonais government is sending mixed messages to its Asian partners, to its people and to the regions hosting several major projects. Its representatives have...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | GABONSINGAPORE This land is not your land 30th June 2012 An agribusiness company’s projects across the country are facing opposition from local people and civil society groups Singapore’s Olam is riding a new wave of opposition to its industrial agriculture and fertiliser projects. Criticism of state-backed projects from inside the governing Parti Démocratique Gabonais is...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | GABONCHINA Bélinga back on the table 30th June 2012 The Gabonese government reconfirmed in early June that it is open to discussions with all interested parties on the development of the Bélinga iron ore mine that...