Speaking at the FSC certified Rougier sawmill of Mevang in Gabon, President Ali Bongo Ondimba stated that Gabon has made tremendous strides in extracting value from their forests since 2009—but, a lot more will need to be done for the country to increase their global market share and produce quality products.
“In terms of quality, Forest Stewardship Council certification is important and will guarantee the access of our production to the reference markets, The FSC certification, introduced by Rougier in Gabon, offers many advantages which will improve the attractiveness of the timber sector to potential investors, stimulate local production, and respond to the growing demand for quality products in these markets. It will also reinforce our sustainable development policy, which makes Gabon a reference in the sub-region and in Africa” said President Bongo.
He added that the value of Gabonese timber exports is only US $ 120 million a year, while the value of timber imports from the world's five largest markets – the United States, China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom US $ 70 billion. Gabon has 15.9 million hectares of forest and has the potential to claim a larger share of the market. The state will take necessary measures to accompany the operators towards FSC certification by developing an action plan in the next two months.
“We are very pleased with the commitment of Gabon to FSC certification, this indicates their commitment to sustainable forest management, protection of natural forests and its wildlife while ensuring the respect of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities rights in forestry management decision. We are looking forward to working with all the stakeholders and to ensure they enjoy the benefits and value of our forest management certification, this is also in line with our plan of increasing FSC-certified forests in the Congo Basin ” said Steve Ball, FSC Africa Regional Director.
Gabon has a land area of 26.8 million hectares and a population of about 1.8 million people. Situated in the western part of the Congo Basin, Gabon’s total forest area is 22 million hectares (African Development Bank Regional Strategic Study 2018), which is 82% of the land area.