Gabon withdraws 71 mining permits following compliance audit

Gabon’s mining ministry announced on October 19 that 71 mining permits were returning to the state’s public domain following a compliance audit. The decision covers 48 exploration permits and 23 exploitation permits. The audit ran from June 29 to October 16 and assessed the validity of titles, companies’ technical capacity and financial standing. According to the ministry, several holders failed to meet legal and regulatory obligations. The announcement did not specify each company’s breaches or the total number of files reviewed. The affected titles span eight of Gabon’s nine provinces, with concentrations in Ogooué-Ivindo and Ngounié. Named exploitation-title holders include Gabon Gold Mining, Global Mine Development and Société des mines et carrières du Gabon. The review followed the nationwide suspension of small-scale gold mining on June 22 after authorities dismantled a clandestine gold-panning network in Ngounié. Work on revising the Mining Code began the following day. Withdrawal restores the titles to state control; it does not establish that they have already been reallocated to new operators. The reported provincial coverage also includes Woleu-Ntem, Ogooué-Lolo, Haut-Ogooué, Estuaire, Nyanga and Moyen-Ogooué. Africafiles draws on Gabonactu and Infos Gabon, rather than presenting an independently conducted audit. The ministry cites the legislation governing mining and warns that violations of its decision could lead to prosecution. Its published lists identify permit holders and locations, but the account does not supply a company-by-company explanation of non-compliance, responses from those holders or a timetable for redistribution. The announced withdrawal should not be read as a finding that every affected company committed the same breach. Nexus analysis: Returning titles to state control is an administrative outcome; whether it improves investment and oversight will depend on transparent reallocation and monitoring, neither of which is demonstrated by the withdrawal count.