GABON’S mining minister has dismissed energy shortages as justification for missing the country’s 2029 ban on raw manganese exports, rejecting industry warnings that power constraints could delay refinery construction.
“Energy is a false debate,” mining minister Sosthene Nguema Nguema told Reuters at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town. “Some operators have already demonstrated processes that reduce energy use by 40 to 60%. So we do not expect energy to be a reason for anyone not to comply in 2029.”
The world’s second-largest manganese producer introduced the policy last year to capture more value from mineral wealth after decades of raw ore exports. Gabon exported 9.4 million tons of manganese in 2024, down 5.3% from the previous year, with most shipped in raw form.
Mining companies including France’s Eramet have expressed willingness to cooperate but cited power limitations as a challenge. Power shortages are frequent in the central African nation, hampering energy-intensive industrialisation.
Nguema said all manganese miners must submit detailed implementation timelines and demonstrate measurable progress towards compliance, adding the 2029 deadline was non-negotiable.
“We are providing the administrative support companies need, but the responsibility to meet the deadline is theirs,” he said.
The minister said Eramet’s management crisis should not affect compliance. “Eramet must comply like everyone else,” he said. Eramet dismissed its CEO on February 1, but said the decision does not alter group strategy.
Gabon expects two new iron ore mines, Milingui and Baniaka, to begin operations this year. Companies failing to deliver will lose their licences, Nguema warned.
