Gabon launches 700 billion FCFA plan to build national poultry industry

As of January 1, 2027, Libreville will ban imports of frozen chicken. Gabon aims to produce 125,000 tonnes of broiler meat annually by 2028, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Several challenges remain before this deadline.

An ecosystem to build

On June 2, 2026, Pacôme Kossi, Minister of Agriculture, presented a 700-billion-FCFA program before deputies. The plan is designed to help the country achieve self-sufficiency in poultry meat by January 1, 2027. From that date, Gabon will stop importing 65,000 tonnes of frozen chicken each year. According to the FAO, Gabon consumes about 65,000 tonnes of chicken annually. Economist Louis Ndong stated: “The goal is to reach food sovereignty to ease the household budget.”

Hervais Omva, president of the Zambia-based NGO IDRC Africa and an expert in poultry value chains, believes the project’s success hinges on building the entire production chain. “The president set the direction. Now sector players must construct the upstream and downstream ecosystem,” he explained. He stressed that local production of maize and soybeans is essential, as these two crops represent nearly 75% of poultry feed. “One of the main challenges will be to produce millions of tonnes of these grains locally,” he pointed out. Job creation is another key issue. “Some automated slaughterhouses can process up to 60,000 chickens per day with only about twenty employees. If the goal is also to reduce youth unemployment, a model adapted to local realities will be necessary,” he added.

Gabon bets on African investors

Libreville plans to attract investors from across the continent to support this transformation. After Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema’s call during the Kigali summit in mid-May 2026, several African operators were received at the Presidential Palace on June 9. The government says the technical framework is in place and an investment bank is already operational. A senior official from the Ministry of Agriculture stated that “the various mechanisms will be deployed gradually.” In Port-Gentil, G.M., a poultry farmer for about ten years with a flock of 10,000 chickens, sees this policy as a major opportunity. “The potential is real, but shifting to industrial production requires substantial investment,” he shared.

A sector to structure

The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine highlighted the vulnerability of importing countries to international markets. Gabon now aims to strengthen domestic production to reduce this dependency. According to data from the Directorate General of Statistics, 54.6% of Gabon’s population is under 26. The youth unemployment rate is estimated between 30% and 38%, according to the UNDP. Developing the poultry sector thus represents agricultural, economic, and social challenges. Hervais Omva has a message for young Africans: “The president has paved the way. Investors are ready.”