(Ecofin Agency) – In principle, an agreement has been reached between university representatives and the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the Vocational Education and Training Center. If implemented, the project could help boost Gabon’s performance in the maritime sector.

Gabon is preparing to establish a maritime school with support from Indian Centurion University, with the aim of training in maritime engineering, oil engineering and mining with cutting-edge technological innovations. We learn about New Gabon that Minister Brice Constant Paillat signed a memorandum of understanding with university officials in Libreville.

This agreement in principle comes a few days after the delegation from the Indian technology and management institution was received on 13 September 2022 by the Minister of Vocational Training, Raphaël Ngazouzé. Already during the trial, the Centurion delegation stated that they wanted cooperate with Gabon in order to open the first institution focused on maritime engineering“.

The maritime sector in Gabon is prosperous. According to data from the Ministry of Economy in 2021, activities at the bonded wharf managed by Olam GSEZ (cargo and ore terminals) have again shown satisfactory results. Cargo handling rose 14.3% to 6.4 tonnes, driven by manganese. Ship movements also increased 13.8%. As a result, turnover increased from 77.6 billion FCFA in 2020 to 86.1 billion, up 11%.

With the maritime school, Gabon can improve its performance in this area, especially since in Central Africa, the World Bank considers the port of Owendo to be the most attractive.