LIBREVILLE, July 19, 2023 (AGP) – One of the projects that is part of the Gabonese model is undoubtedly the Special Investment Zone (ZIS) of Nkok. Proof of success of a pragmatic policy of the Head of State, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
Gabon had to accelerate the structural transformation of its economy in the context of the global value chain and rapid technological transaction. As a good visionary, Ali Bongo Ondimba, the day after his accession to the supreme magistracy, decided to create, in 2010, an economic zone with a privileged regime of Nkok (Zerp). A leap into the unknown where he had to arm himself with the courage to cast off for a project whose chances of success were impossible to predict. Along the way, the Economic Zone took shape until the government decided to change its status, in January 2023, to become a Special Investment Zone (ZIS).
Today, the figures speak for themselves: creation of 16,000 direct and indirect jobs, 265 million dollars in products exported annually, 820,000 m3 of wood processed in 2020 and 1.7 million dollars generated in foreign investment direct, 94 companies established, numerous economic operators in the process of negotiating for the occupation of the remaining 700 hectares of surface area. Alongside this, one of the missions of the Economic Zone is the transfer of skills for the benefit of nationals. To meet the demand for training from Gabonese youth, the State has agreed to invest in the construction of three international and multi-sector training centers within the ZIS.
This zone, which was ranked in 2022 by FDI Intelligence as the best free zone for environmental practices in Africa, is attracting more and more interest from other countries around the world. African states such as Togo, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo have made visits to the Nkok Special Investment Zone to understand Gabon’s mechanisms in the local processing of products and to learn from them. inspire.
Many Gabonese say that the Nkok Special Investment Zone remains a source of pride for the country and do not hide the fact that they congratulate the President of the Republic, Ali Bongo Ondimba, for this action, the fruit of the materialization of his policy.
EN/FSS
