II. LEADING TRADE PROSPECTS FOR U.S. BUSINESS

BEST PROSPECTS:

MEDIUM AND LONG TERM PROSPECTS IN GABON MUST BE JUDGED
FAVORABLE FOR THE OIL, THE MINING AND THE TELECOMMUNICATION
SECTOR.  FEW FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE FOR 1993, WE WERE OBLIGED TO
USE 1992 FIGURES WHEN 1993 FIGURES WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

A) RANK OF SECTOR: 1
B) NAME OF SECTOR: PETROLEUM EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES
C) ITA INDUSTRY SECTOR CODE: 270
D) 1992 ESTIMATED MARKET SIZE: US DOLS 350 MILLION
E) THERE IS NO LOCAL PRODUCTION OF EQUIPMENT FOR THE CRUDE OIL
   SECTOR
F) TOTAL EXPORTS OF CRUDE OIL PRODUCTS IN 1992 WERE U.S DOLS
   1.6 BILLION
G) TOTAL IMPORTS OF EQUIPMENT FOR THE OIL SECTOR US DOLS 350
   MILLION. THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF IMPORTS FOR THE
   NEXT FIVE YEARS SHOULD BE AROUND 15 PERCENT.
H) ESTIMATED IMPORTS FROM UNITED STATES IN 1992 WERE US DOLS
   70 MILLION
I) US DOLS 1 EQUALED CFA FRANCS 265 IN 1992
   THE PETROLEUM SECTOR WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE GABONESE
   EXPORTS SINCE GABON'S TOTAL OIL PRODUCTION IS EXPECTED TO
   REACH 17 MILLION TONS IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.  THE GOG
   WOULD LIKE TO ATTRACT MORE U.S. FIRMS IN THE GABONESE OIL
   SECTOR. U.S. FIRMS ARE HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER IN THE
   EXPLORATION AREAS.
   U.S. COMPANIES ARE FACING COMPETITION FROM EUROPEAN FIRMS.
   SECONDARY PETROLEUM ACTIVITY FOR SPECIALIZED WORK,
   ESPECIALLY FOR U.S. SEISMIC AND DRILLING FIRMS, SEEMS
   PROMISING.

A) RANK OF SECTOR: 2
B) NAME OF SECTOR: MINING
C) ITA INDUSTRY SECTOR CODE: 260
D) 1992 ESTIMATED TOTAL IMPORTS: APPROX. US DOLS 50 MILLION.
E) THERE IS NO LOCAL PRODUCTION OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT FOR THE
   MINING SECTOR.
F) ESTIMATED TOTAL EXPORTS OF MANGANESE AND URANIUM IN 1992:
   US DOLS 204 MILLION
G) ESTIMATED TOTAL IMPORTS OF EQUIPMENT IN 1992: US DOLS 50
   MILLION
H) ESTIMATED IMPORTS FROM THE U.S.: N/A
I) IN 1992, US DOLS 1 EQUALED CFA FRANCS 265.
   THE TWO MAJOR MINING ACTIVITIES HAVE LARGE INVENTORIES OF
   U.S. EQUIPMENT SUCH AS CRANES, DRAGLINES, TRUCKS AND
   TRACTORS.  U.S. EQUIPMENT IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED AND AS THE
   MINING INDUSTRY EXPANDS TO OTHER MINERALS, NEW MARKETS WILL
   BE OPEN TO U.S. HEAVY EQUIPMENT.   PRODUCTS COMING FROM
   JAPAN AND EUROPE HAVE BEGUN TO APPEAR ON THE MARKET
   ESPECIALLY IN THE TRANSPORTATION FIELD.   LOCAL SUPPLIERS
   OF U.S. FIRMS HAVE DONE WELL DURING THE PAST YEARS, RELYING
   ON QUALITY AND PRICE OF PRODUCTS. GABON'S IMPORTS FOR THE
   MINING SECTOR INCLUDE PARTS FOR THE MANGANESE INSTALLATION,
   THE RAILROAD AND THE MINERAL PORT AS WELL AS SPARE PARTS
   AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE URANIUM FACTORY.  THE GABONESE MINING
   SECTOR RESOURCES ARE EXPLOITED BY TWO COMPANIES, COMILOG
   FOR THE MANGANESE AND COMUF FOR THE URANIUM.

A) RANK OF SECTOR: 3
B) NAME OF SECTOR: TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
C) ITA INDUSTRY SECTOR CODE: 850
D) ESTIMATED TOTAL SALES: US DOLS 40 MILLION
E) THERE IS NO LOCAL PRODUCTION OF TELECOMMUNICATION
   EQUIPMENT.
F) 1992 TURNOVER OF THE TELECOMMUNICATION OFFICE (OPT)IS
   UNKNOWN. OPT IS A PARASTATAL COMPANY.
G) TOTAL IMPORTS: US DOLS 40 MILLION
H) TOTAL IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. U.S. DOLS 10 MILLION
I) IN 1992 US DOLS 1 EQUALED CFA FRANC 265
   U.S. EQUIPMENT IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION FIELD IS
   WELL REGARDED IN GABON.  U.S. EQUIPMENT FACED COMPETITION
   WITH JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN PRODUCTS. LOCAL SUPPLIERS OF
   U.S. FIRMS WILL HAVE TO PROMOTE U.S. EQUIPMENT AND
   DEVELOP CONTACTS WITH THE PARASTATAL OPT (OFFICE DES POSTES
   ET TELECOMMUNICATIONS), THE ONLY ACTIVE COMPANY IN THE
   TELECOMMUNICATION FIELD IN GABON    WHICH HAS A MONOPOLY ON
   THE NETWORK IN GABON.  THE BEST PROSPECTS WILL CONCERN
   TRANSMITTER RECEIVER, MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT, MULTIPLEX
   EQUIPMENT, SWITCHING BOARD FOR HIGH TENSION, TELEPHONE
   CABLES, TELEPHONE POLES, HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRUCKS USED IN
   TELECOM, TELECOM PARTS AND TELECOM PRECISION INSTRUMENTS.