(Ecofin Agency) - The Agricultural Processing and Rural Development Company (Société de transformation agricole et de développement rural – Sotrader), result of a public-private partnership between the state of Gabon and Singapore group Olam International announced, in a communiqué published on 30 August, the signing of a USD 140 million contract with Caterpillar group. This contract is for the purchase of 475 bulldozers which will be used for the implementation of the GRAINE program, which aims to support local farmers in the creation of co-ops throughout the nation.

As part of this contract, 25 Gabonese were selected based on a transparent process to be trained by Caterpillar in Morocco.

Moreover, industrial group Caterpillar is committed to open a training centre in the Special Economic Zone (ZES) of Nkok (27km from Libreville). Trainings relating to the assembly and repair of equipment will be given there. This contract will generate the creation of 200 jobs to which will be added the ones created by GRAINE which already has about 6,500 members.

This ambitious “back to the land” program was launched in December 2014 by Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in order to reach the goals of food security and to reduce the costs for import of foodstuffs.