School of mining and metallurgy opens in Gabon

"This school responds to the need for greater diversification in our economy, and will help boost the performance of the Moanda Metallurgical Complex. Whether it's for the production of manganese or iron, we need more human resources," says the Gabonese president, Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The result of a public-private partnership between the government, the Ogooué Mining Company (COMILOG) and the University of Nancy, the E3M is testament to the president's determination to provide Gabonese and other African students with a modern, well-adapted infrastructure for their professional training. He has sought to translate this ambition into tangible results, particularly via his "Equal Opportunities" programme, a major priority of which is ensuring access to professional training at new regional training centres and technical schools for tomorrow's African leaders.

As the first institution of its kind in the subregion, the school will also enable Gabon to promote exchanges with the Central African subregion and beyond, as the school will be accessible to students across the continent who wish to develop their skills in the field of mining and metallurgy.

Occupying a 40-hectare site the school consists of futuristic-looking administrative and teaching buildings, a dormitory, a library, a language laboratory, an IT room and a 150-seat lecture hall, in addition to two technical halls, a canteen and sports facilities. Over time, the E3M school will train many engineers from Gabon as well as from the continent as a whole, in order to meet the growing needs of the mining industry.

The construction of the school is part of a general plan to industrialise different strands of the economy including mining, petroleum and forestry, supported in each case by a specialised school dedicated to training future engineers, such as the Port-Gentil Petroleum and Gas Institute or the Wood Industry School being constructed in Booué.