While Gabon is endowed with natural resources like oil and gas, the country should consider tapping more into its renewable energy market. Hydroelectric dams, which generate most of the country’s residential electricity, account for 76% of Gabon’s power production. In 2006, the Energy Recipes organization released a report noting that while Gabon had about 6,000 MW of underexploited hydro resource potential, it did not have any other renewable energies like solar or geothermal being exploited.
Investors might want to make a special note that currently, no solar projects are ongoing in the country. Average sunlight hours in Gabon range between 3.1 hours per day in September and six hours per day in February. While this might not be as much as many of its neighbors, it is still significant and poses the question as to why solar energy isn’t being used to diversify Gabon’s energy mix.
Meanwhile, Gabon has begun seeing green jobs pop up that help employ the youth of its capital Libreville via a UNDP-led project on waste management. Around 200 people visit homes in 11 selected areas daily, hitting about 300,000 residents. The project, dubbed the Shared Solid Waste Urban Management project, also aims to raise awareness through its employees about environmental cleanliness.
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