In his address to the nation on December 31, 2025, President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema highlighted Gabon’s significant financial efforts to repay its domestic and external debt. This figure amounted to nearly 3,142 billion CFA francs as of August 30, 2023.
Addressing the nation on December 31st, the President of the Republic reviewed the actions undertaken since taking office. On the economic front, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema addressed the repayment of Gabon’s domestic and external debt. Specifically, he announced that nearly 3,142 billion CFA francs had been repaid since August 30, 2023, the date of the overthrow of the previous regime in Gabon. This money, he affirmed, reflects the authorities’ commitment to reducing the heavy debt burden inherited from the previous regime and restoring the country’s financial credibility. Faced with these constraints, he reiterated the need to reconcile budgetary discipline with maintaining public investment in order to meet development aspirations and consolidate economic sovereignty.
Strategically, the Head of State outlined symbolic and concrete measures aimed at strengthening national control over resources. The acquisition of Assala Energies, the Société des Magasins Pétroliers d’Afrique (SMA), Tullow Oil, and SNBG, the opening of industrial mines to local exploitation, and the local processing of manganese illustrate this approach. These operations, combined with tax reforms designed to optimize public revenue and streamline spending, constitute, according to him, the levers for building a more self-reliant economy, less vulnerable to external risks.
The implementation of a modernized public management system is central to this strategy. ” The digitalization of public management will continue, with a new, fully operational integrated public finance system by 2026 ,” he stated, emphasizing the rigorous execution of revenue and expenditure in accordance with international standards. Furthermore, the fight against corruption is presented as a fundamental challenge, especially since every manager will have to ” be held accountable for their actions, including before the courts ,” in order to establish a culture of responsibility and transparency within the administration.
This public policy framework is part of a broader strategy of macroeconomic stability and sustained development. The presidential address reaffirmed an approach where budgetary discipline does not contradict public investment, but rather makes it compatible with a vision of economic sovereignty and the modernization of state institutions. The figure of nearly 3,142 billion CFA francs therefore remains the guiding principle of these recent initiatives, according to which the country seeks to regain fiscal space and lay the foundations for sustainable development in a frequently uncertain international context.
However, it should be noted that according to several sources, Gabon’s public debt is a major economic concern, with outstanding amounts reaching over 8,600 billion FCFA at the end of October 2025.
