Comilog and Gabon have a 60-year history, which Eramet has been consolidating for almost 30 years thanks to a continuing strong partnership with the Gabonese government.

On February 8 and 9, Eramet welcomed General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, President of the Gabonese Transition, to inaugurate several industrial and social infrastructures built by Comilog in and around the town of Moanda. Christel Bories, Chair and CEO of the Eramet group, Virginie de Chassey, Director of Sustainable Development and Corporate Engagement, and teams from Comilog and Setrag were also present. In total, over a thousand guests, including officials, employees, subcontractors and local residents, were in attendance.

Okouma and IROC: Comilog’s future

The Okouma plateau, which was undergoing maintenance that day, was packed to the rafters to welcome official guests and the surrounding population. To support the company’s ambitious production targets and replace the historic mine on the Bangombé plateau, a new mine opened in 2021 on the Okouma plateau. It includes three modular washing lines whose construction mobilized 30 companies and more than 650 people on the various worksites, for a total of 200 direct jobs created.

The second operational site inaugurated is the IROC “Moulébé”, which means “guardhouse” in the local dialect. Launched in 2022, this integrated operations management center provides teams with a global vision of the company’s chain of activities (planning, production, supply chain and transport, sales) to better manage and optimize its performance. This has become a strategic tool, which Comilog intends to use to become a benchmark in its sector. The President of the Republic was able to appreciate the technology deployed in this tool of excellence, presented by the 17 members of the IROC team.

Comilog, a committed and responsible partner

Firmly committed to supporting the economic and social development of the people of Moanda, Comilog and Eramet have been carrying out structuring projects with a strong social impact for several years, with the support of the Gabonese government.
Many of these are now a reality, such as the “Lekolo 2” and “Mingoungou” housing estates. Almost 500 housing units and an orphanage have been built for the local population, close to the Comilog and Setrag sites.

Following the tarmacking of Moanda’s main road a few years ago, several kilometers of secondary roads have now been paved, thanks to another sector of activity supported by Comilog via the creation of the Usine 3L des Pavés of Konda. This initiative helps to combat local unemployment, and to support the activities of young people and women, a point of particular interest to President Oligui Nguema.

And to support the local economic dynamic, Comilog has also set up a Guichet Unique in partnership with the Gabonese government. This administrative building, which houses several agencies, facilitates the creation of businesses and jobs.

Today we are celebrating the fruit of five years’ work, which has led to the opening of this new plateau and the creation of numerous ore processing and transport infrastructures. This development has also been accompanied by major investment in social and societal infrastructure, driven by the Eramet group in Gabon, in partnership with the Gabonese government, and financed through the CSR fund, a shared initiative between Comilog and the government. These infrastructures testify to the dynamism of our industrial presence in Gabon and to the ambition that the Eramet group has set itself in terms of social and societal responsibility, in line with our corporate purpose: ‘To become a reference in the responsible transformation of the Earth’s mineral resources, for living well together.’

Christel Bories

Chair and CEO of Eramet