Listen to this articleThis is what revealsent figures from the Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (DGT). While it appears that Asia remains Gabon’s main customer, especially with China as the leader, India, which has recently sought to improve its trade relations with the country, bought FCFA 194.4 billion by the end of the first three months of 2022.
In fact, according to data from DGDDI, Gabon’s exports to its first customers increased 113.7 percent, to 1,276.5 billion FCFA. With 497.6 billion FCFA of purchases made by China, the country remains the country’s main economic partner. This is followed by India’s 194.4 billion FCFA and other countries such as Spain and South Korea.
The performance follows rising demand for crude oil, sawn and structural wood and manganese, combined with rising prices for raw materials, following the crisis in Ukraine. Geographically, the Asian continent (81.7% share) remains Gabon’s main customer, followed by Europe (16.8%) and Africa (1.0%).
It should be noted that the position currently occupied by India could be strengthened in the years to come, especially after the signing on Tuesday 31 May 2022 of two memorandums of understanding between the Prime Minister of Gabon, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda and Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, who came to Gabon as head of a large delegation of Indian businessmen on a candidate search mission.
