• Sector revenue rose 6.2% after a contraction in the previous quarter

• International transfers led growth, especially flows outside CEMAC

• User base continued to expand, supported by payment digitalization efforts

Gabon’s mobile money sector rebounded in the second quarter of 2025 after a slowdown in the first quarter. According to the latest sector outlook note from the Directorate General of the Economy and Fiscal Policy (DGEPF), industry revenue rose by 6.2% over the period, following a 1.8% decline in the previous quarter.

The recovery was largely driven by international transfers, which posted strong gains. Transfers within the CEMAC zone rose by 11% during the quarter, while flows outside CEMAC increased by 16%. On a year-on-year basis, the trend was even more pronounced, with intra-CEMAC transfers up 64% and transfers outside the zone surging by 170%, making them the main growth engine for the sector.

At the domestic level, person-to-person transfers also expanded, rising 11% over the quarter. Overall, core transactions such as deposits and withdrawals recorded increases of 9% and 8%, respectively. In contrast, direct payments for purchases, including in shops and for services, declined by 7% over the quarter, although they remained higher than a year earlier.

This momentum has gone hand in hand with a steady increase in the number of users. By the end of June 2025, the total number of mobile money accounts reached 4.7 million, up 2% over the quarter and 21% year on year. Active accounts stood at 1.7 million, marking a 3% increase over the period. These figures confirm the growing reliance of Gabonese users on mobile money for daily transactions and money transfers.

The performance comes as Gabon steps up efforts to digitalize payments. In this context, the MaDigiPaie program was launched in recent weeks to modernize and secure public payments. Implemented in partnership with the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and the Central African Monetary Union Interbank Group (GIMAC), the initiative allows users to make payments via mobile money by scanning the GIMACPAY QR code.

Sandrine Gaingne