The Administrative Authority of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Nkok, located 21.8 km by road east of Libreville, received a delegation led by Richard Bale, Ambassador of Canada to Gabon with residence in Yaoundé (Cameroon), accompanied by the Delegate General of Quebec Iya Touré.

"This visit aimed to identify business opportunities in the sector of the 3rd transformation of wood, within the SEZ of Nkok, multisectoral industrial park born of the materialization of the vision of the President of the Republic, ... Ali Bongo Ondimba, "says the administrative authority.

Still according to the same source, after a general presentation of the SEZ and its many advantages, by the general administrator, Anne Nkene Biyo'o, the delegation toured the area, before ending the visit to the exhibition center of furniture.

Launched in 2012, the Nkok SEZ currently has 85 companies in production, including 68 in the wood sector. According to the administrative authority, 775,000 m3 of wood were processed at the Nkok SEZ in 2020, an increase of more than 75,000 m3 compared to the previous year. That is an increase of 10.7%. "These performances were made possible by the companies installed on site for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd transformation of wood, thus giving an optimal added value to our local species," explains the Nkok SEZ.

The arrival of Canadian investors could boost wood processing in the zone, especially since Gabon plans to strengthen the wood sector in 2021, according to a recent note from the Ministry of the Economy. Thus, says this source, "the production of cut wood [logs] would increase by 2.5% to 1.17 million cubic meters against -5.4% in 2020, due to the strengthening of the industrial fabric, the regular supply of logs to factories and the continued improvement in the performance of units installed in the Nkok zone.

Source : 01net