While French multinationals in Gabon have gone broke like Rougier and Necotrans or battle with the presidency like Veolia and Eramet, Indo-Singaporean group Olam has gone from strength to strength. The man behind its success, its Gabon country director Gagan Gupta, has succeeded in forging close links with the Gabonese presidency.
Times are changing. In less than a year, two of the leading names in the Franco-Gabonese business world, logistics group Necotrans and timber specialist Rougier, have found themselves obliged to turn to the courts of commerce as a result of financial difficulties. And in each case, Olam, set up originally with Indian capital and headed in Gabon by a 42-year-old accountant, has taken advantage of their difficulties. When Rougier went into administration in March 2018, Olam took over part of its timber