• Gabon appoints Clotaire Kondja petroleum and gas minister in reshuffle
• Industry insider takes over amid ageing fields, weak investment
• New minister faces gas monetisation, revenue alignment challenges

Gabon’s President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has appointed Clotaire Kondja as Minister of Petroleum and Gas following a cabinet reshuffle announced on Jan. 1, 2026. He replaces Sosthène Nguema Nguema, who was appointed to the mining portfolio after assuming the oil ministry in May 2025, succeeding Marcel Abéké.

Kondja previously served as deputy managing director of Vaalco Gabon, where he played a role in the transition from expatriate-led management to a fully Gabonese team. That experience gives him hands-on insight into the technical, contractual and economic dimensions of Gabon’s oil industry.

His appointment comes as the sector faces structural challenges. Despite around 2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, output continues to be constrained by ageing fields and limited investment.

Gabon’s crude oil production averaged about 215,000 barrels per day in 2025, according to data compiled by Energy Intelligence. The previous minister struggled with a fiscal and contractual framework that limited the country’s ability to attract new operators at a time of rising regional competition.

The monetisation of associated gas remains another key challenge. Despite official ambitions to promote energy and industrial diversification, gas development has been held back by a lack of structured outlets, infrastructure constraints and weak project economics, with no operational solution to date.

Sector governance and the need to better align oil output with public revenue and broader economic development remain pressing issues. According to the World Bank’s Gabon Economic Update 2025, oil, manganese and timber account for 97% of the country’s goods exports, with oil providing the bulk of export earnings.

These issues will shape the new minister’s agenda as authorities seek to strengthen the extractive sector’s contribution to the national economy. By appointing an industry insider, the government signals a preference for technical expertise in a sector central to Gabon’s fiscal stability.

Abdel-Latif Boureima