Exporting to Gabon, What You Need to Know

The Central African nation of Gabon regulates the quality of products imported into its borders. The Gabonese Standard Agency AGANOR (Agence Gabonaise de Normalisation) regulates the Gabonese Program of Conformity (PROGEC). The program launched on July 16, 2020, under Decree 1080-20. It was later modified on November 17, 2021, by Decree 1407-21.

To ensure compliance, AGANOR appointed Cotecna to verify the conformity of products exported to Gabon. Cotecna is mandated to test, inspect and issue a Certificate of Conformity for compliant products.

To verify conformity, Cotecna uses one of three assessment methods called "Routes". Depending on the profile of the exporter/importer, Cotecna selects the most appropriate Route to use. To apply for certification, you must submit to Cotecna the following documents with your Request for Certification:

• Proforma invoice
• Technical datasheet of the products
• Packing list
• Valid conformity documents (test reports, quality certificates, or analysis reports).
• Any other document, as requested by Cotecna.

List of Regulated Products 

• Minerals: HS chapter 25 (including food salt)
• Chemicals & Plastics products: HS chapters 28, 29, 31, 32, 35, 38, 39
• Perfumery, Cosmetic & other personal care products: HS chapters 33, 34
• Rubber & Wooden products: HS chapters 40, 44, 45, 46
• Stone, Ceramic & Glassware products: HS chapters 68, 69, 70
• Iron, Steel & other metals: HS chapters 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83
• Machinery/Mechanical appliances & Electrical/Electronic products: HS chapters 84, 85 and 94
• Instruments & Apparatus: HS chapter 90
• Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles: HS chapter 95

Food Products (HS Chap 1-24) are not subject to PROGEC requirements.

To find out if your product(s) is subject to regulation, please contact us.

Certification Scope

Cotecna will then use the documents received to set the certification scope to verify the conformity of your goods. The certification scope includes one or a combination of the following verifications:

• Documentation verification
• Laboratory testing (please see below for accepted laboratories)
• Physical inspection in exporting country
• Factory audit

Once Cotecna issues your Certificate of Conformity, your goods will be ready for export to Gabon. Please note, the Certificate of Conformity must cover 100% of the regulated goods in your shipment.

To determine if your product(s) is subject to regulation or to get a free quote, please contact us.