Libreville, Monday 8 June 2026 – The bet may seem bold, yet it now lies at the heart of Gabon’s economic strategy.
As the country aims to sharply reduce its reliance on imported food and end the massive influx of foreign broiler chickens by 2027, the battle is now being fought far from markets and ports. It is unfolding in the experimental fields of the National Centre for Scientific and Technological Research (CENAREST) at Kougouleu.
The visit by the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and government spokesperson, Charles Edgar Mombo, to this strategic site goes far beyond a simple administrative inspection. It reveals a new direction where scientific research becomes a direct tool for economic transformation and a lever for national sovereignty.
In a country where food imports still absorb a significant share of external expenditure, the ability to produce the raw materials needed for livestock locally now appears as strategic as mining or energy exploitation.
Research at the heart of the national project
The goal set by the authorities is clear: build a poultry sector capable of meeting domestic demand while gradually reducing imports.
To achieve this ambition, the question of animal feed is central. Maize and soya account for the main components of feed used in industrial poultry farming. As long as these raw materials remain largely imported, the sector’s autonomy stays fragile.
At Kougouleu, CENAREST researchers are working precisely on this equation. Eleven varieties of maize are currently undergoing experimental programmes aimed at identifying the seeds best suited to Gabon’s soil and climate conditions.
The challenge goes far beyond simple agricultural performance. It is about selecting varieties capable of delivering sufficient yields to sustainably feed a growing national poultry industry.
The scientific teams have also begun trials on eleven soya varieties introduced through international cooperation with research centres in Malawi. Additional experiments are being conducted in Nyanga province, particularly at Tchibanga, to evaluate performance across the country’s different ecosystems.
This approach reflects a significant shift. Long seen as a sector removed from immediate economic concerns, research is now becoming an operational actor in development.
The ambition of an integrated sector
The government’s strategy rests on a simple logic: produce the necessary livestock inputs locally to reduce production costs and strengthen the competitiveness of Gabonese producers.
This vision aligns with a trend seen in several African countries facing soaring food bills. Dependency on imports remains one of the main factors of economic vulnerability on the continent.
Yet Gabon possesses considerable assets: fertile land, abundant water resources, and climatic conditions favourable to many crops.
For Charles Edgar Mombo, the results observed on the ground already demonstrate the country’s potential. The minister praised the researchers’ commitment and highlighted the capacity of the national higher education system to concretely support the major directions set by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
Beyond the agricultural aspect, the message is political. Science is no longer called upon to produce only knowledge. It must now contribute directly to national priorities.
Sovereignty still to be built
The advances recorded are encouraging. However, they must not mask the challenges that remain.
The researchers themselves stress the need to expand experimental surfaces to improve trial quality and increase production volumes. Moving from scientific experimentation to industrial production is often the most delicate step.
The financial challenge also remains significant. Agricultural modernisation requires massive investments, suitable infrastructure, financing mechanisms accessible to producers, and better organisation of value chains.
But for the first time in a long while, Gabon seems to be engaging in a coherent reflection linking research, agriculture, industry and economic sovereignty.
The ministerial visit to Kougouleu thus symbolises a paradigm shift. In the new vision carried by the authorities, food independence will not be just the result of investments or administrative decisions. It will also pass through laboratories, research centres and scientific innovation.
By the horizon of 2027, if the objectives are met, Gabon could demonstrate that in Africa, food sovereignty is built as much with researchers as with farmers. A silent but potentially decisive transformation for the country’s economic future.
