Gabon urged to upgrade SOGARA refinery to cut fuel imports

Despite ranking as a leading oil producer in Central Africa, Gabon continues to grapple with a persistent economic paradox: its heavy reliance on imported refined petroleum products. This vulnerability has prompted the Central African States Bank (BEAC) to urge officials in Libreville to fast-track the modernization of the Gabonese Refining Company (SOGARA), a move deemed essential to ease public finances and safeguard the region’s foreign exchange reserves.