Woleu-Ntem

Woleu-Ntem covers 38,465 km², about 14.4% of the national territory. It borders Cameroon to the north and Equatorial Guinea to the north-west. The terrain is mostly hills above 500 m; Oyem lies at about 650 m.

The province has five departments: Woleu (capital Oyem), Ntem (Bitam), Okano (Mitzic), Haut-Ntem (Minvoul) and Haut-Como (Médouneu).

The 2013 general population and housing census (RGPL) counted 154,986 inhabitants (4.0 per km²), including 74,403 in Woleu department and 49,712 in Ntem. Oyem then had 60,685 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest town, and Bitam 27,923. The 2026 census counts 242,029 inhabitants in the province. These 2026 census results, validated by the Constitutional Court on 27 August 2026, are well above World Bank estimates and have been debated in the press.

Woleu-Ntem has little industry. Its agricultural output is mainly cocoa, coffee and rubber. Food crops and forest hunting remain important for household food supply.

Oyem, at the crossroads of Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, is a hub for cross-border trade. The town also has a Sobraga plant producing beer and soft drinks. Bitam, on the Cameroonian border, has a large market.

On the Cameroonian side, the municipality of Kyé-Ossi lies right at the junction of Cameroon's borders with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and serves as a crossing point between the three countries.

National road 2 (N2), 456 km long, starts at Bifoun (Moyen-Ogooué), passes through Ndjolé, then crosses Woleu-Ntem via Mitzic, Oyem and Bitam before reaching Eboro, where a bridge over the Ntem river connects it to Cameroon. It is the main road link between Gabon and Cameroon.

Bitam has an airfield.

Two national parks extend partly into the province: Minkébé National Park and Monts de Cristal National Park. Minkébé, officially recognised in August 2002, covers 7,570 km² in the far north-east of Gabon. It is part of the Dja-Odzala-Minkébé tri-national area (TRIDOM), shared with Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo, and is home to one of Africa's largest forest elephant populations.