Gabon Prepares for Industrial Future with Yam’NA, Eramet Comilog and SETRAG

The third edition of the Yam’NA program, launched jointly by Eramet Comilog and SETRAG in Libreville on July 10, marks a significant evolution of the initiative created in 2024 by Eramet Comilog as part of its Beyond strategy and its social responsibility « Act for Positive Mining » campaign. Since its creation, nearly 50 Gabonese students have already benefited from academic support to pursue higher education in the country.

The partnership between Eramet Comilog and SETRAG opens a new phase of the program and strengthens its national dimension by associating industry mining and strategic railway infrastructure under a single objective: investing in Gabonese human capital.

For decades, African extractive economies have mainly exported raw materials while developing specialized technical skills necessary for their transformation. The Gabon is now seeking to reverse this logic.

The 50 new scholarships awarded within the framework of the 2026-2027 academic year will be oriented towards strategic sectors identified for the country’s future. Metallurgy, iron and steel production, chemical industry, agro-food, agroforestry, and related jobs to climate change are among the priority domains.

This evolution is not arbitrary. It accompanies the national ambitions of Gabon to become a major player in the region’s industrial landscape where skills will be the key to success in this competitive world.

The partnership between Eramet Comilog and SETRAG appears as a concrete response to this structural challenge. First private employer with nearly 3,500 direct jobs, among its Comilog and ferroviaire SETRAG subsidiaries, the French Eramet group remains one of the major economic actors in Gabon and the sub-region.

On the other hand, SETRAG operates the 648 kilometers of the Transgabonais railway linking mining zones to the port of Owendo and ensures every year the transport of nearly nine million tons of goods as well as several hundred thousand passengers.

The battle for development is now being fought over skills. Africa is gradually entering a new phase of its economic development where the central question is no longer just infrastructure or investment, but available skills to accompany industrial mutations. In this competitive world, countries that will succeed will be those capable of transforming their youth into the principal engine of creation of value.

The Yam’NA program is part of this long-term strategy. By orienting students towards local transformation and climate-related professions, Gabon seeks to anticipate industry needs rather than just responding to them.

The objective is clear: to emerge a generation capable not only of exploiting the country’s resources but also to transform, value, and make them a lever for sustainable economic sovereignty. The modalities of registration and eligibility criteria are available on the dedicated program Yam’NA website (https://bit.ly/4eOHGXo).

FIN/INFOSGABON/SO/2026