Entity

SOGARA is Gabon's sole petroleum refinery, originally established in 1965 as the Société Equatoriale de Raffinage (S.E.R.) and commissioned in 1967 in Port-Gentil. It was founded as a joint venture among the five member states of the former Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa (UDEAC — Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, and Chad), with major oil companies holding the bulk of its capital. Following a restructuring of its shareholding, since 2017 the Gabonese State has become the dominant shareholder.

Operations & Products

SOGARA operates a hydroskimming-type refinery with a processing capacity of approximately 21,000 bpd (around 1.2 million tonnes/year), with expansion plans targeting 40,000 bpd. The refinery processes crude oil into a range of finished petroleum products for the domestic market, including unleaded gasoline, butane LPG, kerosene, diesel (gasoil), and atmospheric residue (AR). On average, SOGARA produces roughly 1 million tonnes per year, covering approximately 55% of Gabon's national fuel demand.

Shareholding

Prior to the 2017 restructuring, SOGARA was jointly owned by the Gabonese government (25%), TotalEnergies (43.8%), Shell (17%), and Agip (2.5%). Since 2017, the Gabonese State has consolidated control as the principal shareholder.

Development Plans

SOGARA is pursuing a two-phase expansion program to modernize the Port-Gentil refinery and significantly increase domestic fuel production. The first phase, valued at approximately 40 billion CFA francs (~USD 69.5 million), targets rehabilitation of the existing facility; the second phase involves construction of a new production unit, targeting 2.7 million tonnes/year by 2030. The project is financed 30% by SOGARA's own funds and 70% by external debt.