Gabon

Large enterprises in Gabon required to construct or purchase buildings as headquarters

The Gabonese government announced that starting from 1 January 2026, all companies with an annual turnover of more than 2 billion CFA francs will be required to construct or purchase a building in Gabon to serve as their headquarters, in an effort to further drive economic development, particularly for the real estate sector.

Gabon’s leader, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, criticized companies that generate high revenues in Gabon yet operate at unstable, cramped premises—often rented spaces. As a result, the Minister of Public Works and Urban Planning has been instructed to "expeditiously establish a binding technical framework outlining the minimum standards for the location of corporate headquarters."

The Republic of the Congo

Congo has approximately 10 million hectares of sustainable forests for harvesting

On 14 June, the Embassy of the Republic of the Congo in China and China Business Update co-hosted Congo Economic and Trade Investment Cooperation Intention Matching Meeting, in Changsha, China. During the meeting, Rosalie Matondo, the Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of the Congo, stated that the country has approximately 10 million hectares of sustainable forests for harvesting, and the annual harvesting quota was only 1.6 million cubic meters, which is in full compliance with FSC forest certification standards. 

Rosalie Matondo also emphasized that Congo prioritizes the introduction of wood processing technologies, rather than the export of raw materials.

Ghana

Fight against galamsey: Government to deploy AI for real-time monitoring of all forest areas

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Murtala Mohammed has revealed that government plans to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor and manage Ghana’s forest areas in real time to help stop illegal mining activities.

In an interview on GTV’s Breakfast Show, the Minister said the new technology will allow authorities to detect any activity happening in any part of the forest without physically being there.

“We want to deploy AI so that we can zone the entire forest areas in Ghana. That way, you can sit and see if there’s any illegal activity going on anywhere,” he explained.

Mahama launches 2025 national tree planting exercise

The government has launched the 2025 national tree planting exercise as part of efforts to restore the country’s forest cover and combat climate change.

The campaign, according to the government, aims to plant thirty million trees across the country.

Marking World Environment Day in Accra, Thursday, June 5, President John Mahama pledged to lead efforts to restore degraded ecosystems.

“That programme targets the restoration of at least 7 million hectares of degraded land and the planting of millions of trees nationwide. I’m pleased to announce the commencement of the 2025 national tree planting exercise, which begins today, June 5, and continues through to June 30. Our target is to plant 30 million trees across the country during this period,” he stated.

The government has also served notice of plans to ban the use of wood for mono-desks in schools as a measure to reduce the felling of trees.