Public investment in the telecommunication sector could see the completion of an extensive (6,700 km) fibre optic network over the next few years and help fulfill the government’s aim of raising internet access to around 20-30% of the population, up from the current penetration rate of about 2%. The first phase of the expansion (a 1,400 km cable from San Pedro in the south west to Ferkessedougou in the central north) began in 2012 and is...

New deep-water oil and gas systems could provide Gabon with a timely boost and help offset declining output from large, mature fields over the coming decade. Exploration in 2013 has resulted in discovery of pre-salt oil and gas systems and raised expectations that the country has substantial pre-salt potential. The government is determined to adopt a more assertive role in extracting value from its natural resources. Over the past few years, it...

Gabon has set out a range of administrative and financial incentives to attract foreign firms into priority growth sectors such as agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, mining, timber, telecommunications and tourism. This is part of the government’s drive to diversify the economy away from oil sector, where new discoveries have been largely absent over the past decade and production has remained anchored at around 250,000 bpd since 2002....

Botswana has relied upon diamond mining for economic growth and political stability for many years. Diamond mining currently accounts for over one-third of GDP, the vast majority of export earnings, and about half of the government’s revenues. However, the drive for greater economic diversification is gathering pace as diamond production is expected to levels off over the next decade and reserves are set to run out in around 20 years’ time. As...

Untapped gas fields should present Tanzania with an import new source of income, particularly as recent discoveries and new possibilities in off-shore gas fields could double its proven reserves to around 100 trillion cubic feet by 2015. New discoveries and vast potential reserves are expected to prompt substantial investment in gas exploration, extraction and LNG refining capacity over the next few years, as well as the supporting...