How did the Transgabon Railroad help develop Gabon’s interior forest resources?

The Transgabon Railroad was instrumental in developing Gabon’s interior forest resources by providing a reliable, high-capacity transportation link that rivers and air transport could not match. While forest resources near the coast and along major rivers had been largely depleted, the railroad enabled the exploitation of previously inaccessible interior districts.12

Construction of the railroad began in 1974, funded by petroleum revenues and international aid, to facilitate the movement of bulk goods like timber and minerals. The opening of the first section from Owendo to Ndjolé in 1979 marked the beginning of large-scale exploitation in the interior. Subsequent extensions to Booué in 1983 and Franceville in 1986 further expanded access to these vital natural resources, helping to sustain the economy as the country prepared for the eventual depletion of its petroleum reserves.12