• Fund to finance research and structure iboga value chain

• Government introduces stricter rules to regulate access and use

• Move aims to capture value amid rising global interest in iboga

Gabon has approved the creation of a sovereign fund dedicated to financing the iboga sector, a plant with cultural, medicinal, and psychoactive properties now classified as a strategic national asset.

The decision follows a draft decree adopted in the Council of Ministers on April 30.

The fund will support national scientific research and the development of the country’s cultural heritage. No initial funding amount has been disclosed, but the mechanism is expected to rely on revenues generated by the sector, including royalties, operating licenses, and income from commercialization and exports.

The framework also introduces benefit-sharing with local communities that hold traditional knowledge related to iboga, embedding redistribution into the governance of the sector.

Stricter rules to organize the sector

Through this initiative, Gabon aims to protect the plant and bring structure to a largely informal sector, with the goal of capturing more of the economic value linked to iboga.

The new regulatory framework could, however, make market access more complex. The draft decree requires prior authorization from the Minister of Culture for any activity related to iboga, following approval from a newly created interministerial technical commission.

The move comes days after renewed international attention on substances with therapeutic potential. On April 19, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate research and access to psychedelic therapies, citing ibogaine as a promising treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

In response to this growing global interest, Gabon seeks to assert control over its resource through regulation aligned with the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization treaty on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

Authorities aim to turn iboga into a driver of economic growth under the country’s National Growth and Development Plan for 2026–2030.

Sandrine Gaingne