Libreville — The debate over Africa’s natural resource transformation is shifting from boardrooms and international summits to university lecture halls and vocational training centers. In Gabon, this evolution takes concrete form through the third edition of the Yam’NA program, a joint initiative by Eramet Comilog and SETRAG designed to equip the next generation with the skills needed for the country’s industrial future.

Officially launched on July 10 in Libreville, this edition introduces 50 new scholarships for Gabonese high school graduates pursuing higher education in strategic sectors. Since its 2024 inception under Eramet Comilog’s Beyond program and Act for Positive Mining CSR strategy, Yam’NA has already supported nearly 50 Gabonese students in their academic pursuits.

The addition of SETRAG as a partner marks a significant expansion, uniting Gabon’s mining industry with its most critical infrastructure—the Transgabonais railway—behind a shared mission: investing in Gabon’s human capital to fuel long-term industrial growth.

Cultivating skills for tomorrow’s industries

For decades, extractive economies in Africa have exported raw materials while importing technical expertise for their transformation. Gabon is breaking this cycle. The 50 new scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year prioritize sectors identified as vital to the nation’s development: metallurgy, steel production, industrial chemistry, agro-industry, agroforestry, and green economy professions.

This strategic shift aligns with national ambitions to strengthen local resource transformation, add value within Gabon’s borders, and reduce reliance on foreign talent. The stakes extend beyond employment. The program aims to cultivate engineers, technicians, metallurgists, environmental specialists, industrial process experts, and mid-level managers who will drive tomorrow’s projects—whether processing manganese, iron, timber, or agricultural products.

In a global landscape defined by energy transitions and competition over strategic minerals, raw resource ownership is no longer sufficient. Countries must possess the expertise to locally transform these assets and capture their economic value.

Investing in economic sovereignty

Yam’NA targets Gabonese youth under 25 who earned their baccalaureate in the first session and seek higher education in technical, industrial, or environmental fields. Applications are open from July 8 to 28, 2026. Beyond financial support, the program bridges the gap between academic training and real-world industry needs—a persistent challenge across African economies where graduates often face saturated job markets disconnected from emerging industrial demands.

Eramet Comilog, the country’s largest private employer with nearly 3,500 direct jobs (including through subsidiaries Comilog and SETRAG), remains a cornerstone of Gabon’s economy. SETRAG operates the 648-kilometer Transgabonais railway, linking inland mines to the Owendo port and transporting nine million tons of goods and hundreds of thousands of passengers annually.

The future belongs to those who prepare today

Africa stands at a pivotal moment where economic progress hinges less on infrastructure and investment alone, and more on the availability of skilled professionals to lead industrial evolution. The Yam’NA program embodies this long-term vision by steering students toward local transformation careers and green economy roles, ensuring Gabon anticipates rather than reacts to tomorrow’s industrial needs.

The goal is clear: nurture a generation capable not only of extracting Gabon’s resources but of refining, enhancing, and leveraging them as pillars of durable economic sovereignty. Application details and eligibility criteria are available on the Yam’NA program’s dedicated platform.