Gabon's extractive sector posted positive growth across oil, gas and manganese in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Sectoral Economic Report published by the Directorate-General for the Economy and Fiscal Policy (DGEPF). Oil production rose 1.6 per cent, marketed natural gas expanded 10.8 per cent, and manganese output surged 14.1 per cent over the period, providing a stabilising counterweight to weakness elsewhere in the Gabonese economy.
The broader economy remained broadly stable in Q4 2025, though the primary sector delivered a mixed picture. While extractive industries drove headline growth, cash crop farming continued a downward trend, contracting 12.4 per cent, with palm oil production falling sharply by 26.4 per cent. The divergence underscores Gabon's continued structural dependence on hydrocarbons and mineral extraction as the principal engines of economic output, even as agricultural sub-sectors deteriorate.
The natural gas figure is particularly noteworthy for the hydrocarbons industry. A 10.8 per cent increase in marketed gas — gas that reaches commercial off-take rather than being flared or reinjected — suggests either improved gas-handling infrastructure, increased associated gas capture, or both. For an upstream environment like Gabon's, where gas monetisation has historically lagged crude oil development, a double-digit marketed gas increase in a single quarter represents a meaningful operational shift. Whether this reflects new compression capacity, pipeline tie-ins, or revised offtake agreements is not specified in the DGEPF report.
Oil production growth of 1.6 per cent, while modest, is directionally positive for a mature basin that has faced long-term production decline pressures. Gabon produced oil from a range of onshore and offshore fields, and incremental gains at this stage of field maturity typically require active reservoir management, well intervention programmes, or infill drilling activity. The report does not attribute the increase to specific fields or operators.
The Q4 data provides a stable macroeconomic backdrop for companies assessing Gabon as an operating environment. Political transition following the military-led change of government in 2023 has created some uncertainty, but the continuity of extractive sector output signals that production operations have remained largely uninterrupted. For international service and equipment providers, an economy anchored by growing gas and stable oil output — combined with a significant mining sector — keeps Gabon on the watchlist for near-term commercial engagement.