Gabon

More than 50% of Gabon's project loans to be allocated to the road and construction sectors

Of a total of 190.5 billion CFA francs from project loans this year, Gabon plans to allocate 59% to the fields of roads, construction and public works, that is, 36.9% of the total loan are dedicated to road infrastructure and 22.1% to construction, according to Gabon's "State Debt Strategy" document for this year. 

The remaining 41% of the funds will be distributed to other sectors, including education and vocational training (13.1%), communication and telecommunications (8%), health (6.3%), and agriculture (3.5%).

OPRAG announces the launch of a revival plan for logistics

At the Africa Ports Forum 2025, the Office of Ports and Harbors of Gabon (OPRAG) announced the launch of a revival plan for logistics. According to its Director General, OPRAG will be transformed from a simple administration into the orchestrator of a complete logistics ecosystem, structured around the Gabon Smart Ports 2030 strategy.

OPRAG would also provide infrastructure and services tailored to key sectors such as timber, minerals and agriculture through a "smart and specialized logistics corridor" approach.

In the meantime, Gabon is building the Port of Mayumba to a strategic logistics hub for east-west and north-south logistics, thereby promoting Gabon's full integration into the global value chain.

Republic of the Congo (ROC)

Congo reviews the progress of updating its NDCs

On 19 May in Brazzaville, environmental officials and experts of the Republic of the Congo (ROC) reviewed the progress of updating the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). 

Arlette Soudan-Nonault, the Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and the Congo Basin, stated that in accordance with the resolution of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, ROC has committed to submitting its NDCs 3.0 by October 2025. Therefore, updating the NDCs is an urgent task at present.

During the meeting, participants also explored the methodological framework and roadmap for developing NDCs 3.0, drawing on the Global Stocktake (GST) document to guide the update.

BIOMASS: A European satellite at the forefront of tropical forests

The Biomass satellite, launched on April 29, 2025 by the European Space Agency (ESA), marks a decisive turning point in the observation of tropical forests and the fight against deforestation.

Thanks to unprecedented radar technology, this satellite will probe the heart of the densest forests, including those in the Congo Basin, with unprecedented precision.

Until now, the dense canopy of tropical forests has been a wall to optical sensors. Biomass innovates with a P-band radar, an extremely low frequency that penetrates the foliage and directly maps woody biomass, i.e. the quantity of carbon stored in trunks and branches.

The forests of the Congo Basin are among the richest in biodiversity, but also the least well mapped. The data provided by Biomass will considerably improve knowledge of this region, by supplementing existing satellite observations (such as those from Copernicus) with direct estimates of stored carbon.

Ghana

Lands Minister charges new Forest Plantation Fund Board to drive sustainable reforestation efforts

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has inaugurated a six-member Forest Plantation Development Fund Board (FPDF) with a mandate to revitalize Ghana’s reforestation efforts through strategic fund management.

He outlined the board’s key responsibilities, which include ensuring transparent and impactful use of resources, mobilizing private investment for plantation development, developing attractive incentives for private sector participation, promoting best practices in sustainable plantation techniques, financing innovative forestry projects, and monitoring compliance with national reforestation objectives.

The Minister charged the board to fast-track financial support for plantation projects, strengthen public-private partnerships in the forestry sector, and fully embrace the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative ahead of the 2025 planting season.