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00:00 With its vast oil reserves and natural resources, Gabon is one of the richest countries in Africa.
00:07 It's the fourth largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, and the sector accounts for nearly
00:12 40% of GDP and over 70% of exports.
00:16 It's the world's second largest producer of manganese, an important alloy in steel construction,
00:21 and it also generates significant income from its rainforests.
00:25 All this helped it to recover quickly from the coronavirus pandemic, posting 3% growth
00:30 last year.
00:32 The country's population is small, with just 2.3 million people, and yet many of them do
00:37 not benefit from Gabon's considerable oil and mineral wealth.
00:42 This is a key source of resentment against the government of President Ali Bongo and
00:46 his family, which has ruled for 55 years.
00:52 One family holds all the power.
00:55 There's a semblance of democratic institutions, but it's all controlled by the regime.
01:02 It's basically an oil emirate run like a family property for almost six decades.
01:10 Over a third of Gabon lives in poverty, with one in five people unable to find work.
01:16 Among the youth, the jobless rate jumps to 38%.
01:20 One key factor is a lack of direct foreign investment, with weak governance and corruption
01:25 making Gabon an unattractive venture.
01:28 Transparency International ranks Gabon 136th out of 180 in its corruption index.
01:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]