The Gabon Economic Forum (GEF) 2026 convened on Saturday, June 27, at Libreville’s Cité de la Démocratie, bringing together the nation’s key economic stakeholders under the guidance of the Federation of Gabonese Enterprises (FEG). This marked a significant first for the event: since its inception, the GEF was entirely conceived and financed by the private sector, without any public subsidies or structural institutional partnerships. This shift in model underscores the Gabonese employers’ desire to assert their independent voice in relation to the State and to exert influence over the economic reform agenda.

At the forefront of the FEG’s demands are two critical issues: the financial health of the National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (CNAMGS) and the persistent challenge of internal debt. The accumulation of this debt has, for several years, stifled the cash flow of local businesses. Organizers structured their discussions around eight thematic workshops, each representing a priority area presented to the public authorities.

An audit of CNAMGS to rebuild trust

The FEG has formally called for a comprehensive audit of the CNAMGS, a central pillar of Gabon’s social protection system. This request is far from trivial. Employers contribute substantially to the fund but often perceive a lack of expected returns in terms of service quality or transparency in financial management. Several speakers during the forum highlighted ongoing delays in reimbursements to healthcare providers, alongside persistent questions regarding the model’s long-term sustainability.

For the employers, an independent audit is considered a fundamental precondition for any structural reform within the sector. The federation believes that clarifying the CNAMGS accounts is pivotal to the credibility of the forthcoming social compact that the transitional authorities aim to establish. Beyond this technical demand lies a political imperative: to rebuild trust between private contributors and the public institutions tasked with managing their contributions.

A domestic debt settlement plan presented to the executive

The second major focus of the discussions centered on domestic debt, often described as the Achilles’ heel of Gabonese public finances. The FEG submitted a detailed settlement plan to the State, developed through extensive consultation among its members most affected by payment arrears. Numerous Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of the national economy, struggle to meet their own financial commitments due to unrecovered receivables from government administrations and parastatal entities.

The mechanism proposed by business leaders includes phased payments, prior certification of outstanding debts, and the establishment of a monitoring system involving the private sector. This approach aims to prevent a recurrence of previous settlement schemes, which were often criticized for their lack of transparency and inconsistent application. This initiative unfolds as the transitional authorities strive to restore the Gabonese State’s financial credibility with both its national suppliers and international lenders.

A proactive private sector taking the initiative

The decision to fully fund GEF 2026 through private means is, in itself, a powerful political statement. It marks a significant departure from previous practices where major economic gatherings were co-organized with public authorities, often blurring the lines between genuine dialogue and official communication. By independently managing the logistics and guiding the debates, the FEG asserts its role as a proactive force for proposals, rather than merely echoing policies decided at higher levels.

This assertive stance comes at a pivotal moment for Gabon’s economy, which faces the urgent need to diversify its revenue streams beyond oil and manganese, the imperative to clean up its public finances, and significant social pressure related to youth employment. The forum’s eight workshops comprehensively addressed the core of these challenges, ranging from infrastructure and taxation to the business climate and professional training.

Now, the focus shifts to observing the response from the authorities to the proposals put forth. The method adopted by the FEG, combining detailed technical documents with quantified demands, places the executive before its responsibilities: to provide point-by-point answers or risk a hardening of the employers’ discourse in future engagements.