Following months of strained relations over social media oversight, Gabon and TikTok have opted to rebuild trust through structured dialogue. During the AI for Good / WSIS Global Summit in Geneva last July, Gabon’s Minister of Digital Economy, Mark-Alexandre Doumba, held talks with TikTok’s regional leadership to assess the platform’s compliance with Gabon’s updated digital regulations.

These discussions unfolded against a backdrop of stricter oversight for digital platforms in Gabon. Key topics included social media governance, user safety—especially for minors—and TikTok’s commitments to align with Gabon’s new legal framework. The meeting was led by Emir Gelen, TikTok’s Regional Director for Government Relations across the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa, alongside Maria Cohn, Deputy Director of Government Affairs.

TikTok’s delegation presented a comprehensive report on its moderation efforts during the first quarter of 2026. The platform revealed that it had removed 23,504 sensitive posts in total. Breaking this down, 13,930 posts were flagged for threatening minors’ safety and well-being, while 10,784 posts promoted regulated goods, services, or activities. The majority of removals targeted sexually explicit content and material involving abuse or physical harm to children.

TikTok emphasized significant improvements to its moderation tools, claiming that 99.8% of violating content was taken down before users could report it—with 92.9% removed before even being viewed. The platform also reported that 97.2% of flagged content was erased within 48 hours, and 4,352 accounts were permanently suspended during this period.

After the meeting, both parties agreed to extend their cooperation over the next twelve months, aligning with Gabon’s compliance timeline under its new social media regulation ordinance.

For Minister Doumba, this partnership aims to balance digital innovation with robust citizen protection. He highlighted the government’s priority to combat misinformation, cyberbullying, hate speech, and other harmful content that could endanger young people’s mental health.

Gabon’s proactive stance signals a clear commitment to holding major digital platforms accountable while fostering a safer, more responsible online environment for its citizens.