15-04-99 Promoters of a free trade zone in Gabon's economic hub, Port Gentil, are seeking foreign investors to set up businesses in this city.
Emile Doumba, the spokesperson for the group, said the zone will be located on Mandji Island, a peninsula just outside Port Gentil.
"It is designed to attract timber companies, offshore services, naval operations, and finished-good warehousing for Gabon and other Gulf of Guinea countries," said Doumba, who is also the Director General of the International Bank of Commerce and Industry of Gabon (BICIG).
"Port Gentil has lots of qualified workers for the oil and boilermaking industries. This is decidedly advantageous for setting up a free trade zone, " according to Charles Tchen, Managing General Director of Shell Oil Company in Gabon.

Port Gentil, a cosmopolitan city of 80,000, is blessed with a deep-water port and a well-developed service infrastructure which is the creation of the numerous petroleum companies operating in the area, such as Shell Gabon, and Elf Gabon.
The businesses in Port Gentil include the Gabonese Refining Company (SOGARA), which exports 64 % of its oil production (11.7 mm metric tons in 1998) from its 15-meter deep water terminal in the bay of Cap Lopez.
"With the advent of the trade zone, we intend to begin redeploying services and industries in our country," said Doumba.

Willem Steenkamp, director of the West African Development Corporation (WADCO), has welcomed the creation of a free trade zone on Mandji island as an important step for Africa's development.
Steenkamp, a former South African ambassador to Gabon, said such a trade zone could have a ripple effect throughout the Gulf of Guinea, an area saturated with ports where important oil deposit discoveries are being made.
"Building lodging, communication systems, sanitary facilities, water treatment and pollution control systems will create the other indispensable infrastructures for a successful trade zone," said Idd Soleman, another promoter.
Sports and leisure activities will also be developed.

The creation of the zone on Mandji, a 200 sq. km area, is a huge government project whose total price-tag has not yet been announced.
Port Gentil hosts a number of companies which specialise in the timber and petroleum industries. The Gabonese authorities also hope that fish and fish product industries will develop in the area, and that the natural splendours of the area will attract a lot of tourists.
So far, no road has been built to open up the peninsula to vehicular traffic.
"We also plan to build hotels and housing," said a top official from the Ministry of Finance.