Gabon is taking concrete steps to strengthen data-driven agricultural investment and planning, with support from the Joint SDG Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
From 16 to 19 June 2025, the Government of Gabon convened a four-day capacity-building workshop in Libreville focused on geospatial data management and spatial analysis for sustainable agriculture. The initiative brought together national institutions, technical experts and United Nations partners to strengthen the use of evidence in agricultural planning and investment decision-making.
The workshop forms part of Gabon’s Joint SDG Fund–supported programme, launched following a 2024 agreement with the United Nations to strengthen institutional and technical capacities for evidence-based strategic planning. A core objective of the programme is to ensure that public investments in agriculture and land use are informed by high-quality data and aligned with inclusive, sustainable development priorities.
Building national capacity for data-driven planning
Around 40 participants took part in the training, including experts in statistics, digital agriculture, geospatial sciences and strategic planning. Participants represented key national institutions, including the General Commissariat for Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Gabonese Space Studies and Observations Agency, the Agricultural Development Agency of Gabon, as well as national statistics and cartography agencies, academic institutions and UN partners.
The training responded directly to Gabon’s renewed commitment to long-term planning, marked by the reopening of the Ministry of Planning and Foresight and the reestablishment of the General Commissariat for Planning. It aimed to equip national institutions with practical tools to translate data into actionable investment priorities.
Key areas of focus included: Stochastic frontier analysis to define agricultural typologies and productivity potential, GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) to map priority investment areas, and Hands-on use of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform to identify targeted agro-silvo-pastoral and fisheries investments.
Through practical exercises, participants strengthened their ability to apply advanced spatial analysis tools, interpret geospatial data, and integrate evidence into agricultural investment planning and land-use management.
From tools to impact
The workshop was led by experts from FAO’s Digitalization and Informatics Division and Econometrics Unit, with support from the Subregional Coordinator of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. Its ultimate objective was to reinforce the capacity of national institutions—particularly the General Commissariat for Planning—to use geospatial intelligence in support of more strategic, inclusive and sustainable development decisions.
As H.E. Mr. Vulgain Andzembe Tsiegori, High Commissioner for Planning, highlighted, the workshop represented “another step towards real food sovereignty” for Gabon.
By improving access to and use of geospatial data, Gabon aims to enhance planning effectiveness, attract more targeted investments, and support the development of resilient and sustainable food systems—ensuring that no one is left behind.
A strategic step toward Gabon’s development vision
This capacity-building initiative marks a concrete milestone in Gabon’s transition toward data-driven governance. It also demonstrates the catalytic role of the Joint SDG Fund in convening partners, strengthening national institutions and supporting integrated approaches that link data, policy and investment.
The initiative aligns closely with Gabon’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and its broader vision for inclusive growth and sustainable land use.
Background: FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative
At the core of the workshop is FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, launched in 2019 to accelerate agrifood systems transformation and rural development, with a focus on eradicating poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2).
To support this effort, FAO developed the Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform, which provides open access to high-quality spatial data, agricultural statistics and food security indicators from global and national sources. Today, the platform serves as a critical planning and decision-making tool for governments and development partners worldwide.
Original publication: https://www.fao.org/hand-in-hand/news/gabon
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
