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Burkinabe businessman Mahamadou Bonkoungou’s construction giant EBOMAF has broken ground on one of Gabon’s most ambitious infrastructure undertakings: a 244-kilometer road linking Yombi, Mandji and Omboué. The company has 48 months to deliver the paved stretch, a key artery meant to knit together the provinces of Ngounié and Ogooué-Maritime.
Work officially began Sept. 11, with the Gabonese government footing the entire bill. EBOMAF plans to deploy roughly 1,800 specialized workers and 600 pieces of heavy machinery to keep the project on schedule and up to standard.
Beyond asphalt, the contract includes broader improvements along the route: clean drinking water taps for villages, refurbished schools and health centers, and solutions for issues raised during community consultations.
Vice President Alexandre Barro Chambrier called the road “a major lever for boosting trade, opening up rural areas, and smoothing traffic flow,” adding that the project is central to Gabon’s push to modernize a road network where fewer than 20% of the country’s 10,384 kilometers are in good condition. Only 1,800 kilometers are paved nationwide, with 467 kilometers still unclassified.
For Bonkoungou, whose EBOMAF has carved out a reputation across West and Central Africa for tackling complex highway jobs, the stakes are as much about credibility as concrete. Delivering on time could cement EBOMAF’s standing in the region — and open up Gabon’s long-isolated communities to new economic life.
