• Gabon launches drive to clear domestic debt backlog

• Firms must submit verified claims by Sept. 30 deadline

• Plan aims to restore fiscal order, boost business confidence

Gabon's government has launched an extensive operation to regularize domestic debt owed to private businesses, which accumulated between 2022 and 2025. The Economy and Finance Ministry announced the drive, stating its purpose is to settle outstanding payments and improve fiscal transparency.

Economy and Finance Minister Henri Claude Oyima issued a public notice on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, directing all companies with payment orders to submit them to the Public Treasury by Sept. 30, 2025.

To qualify, companies must provide complete documentation, including market agreements, purchase orders, service orders, invoices certified as "services rendered," tax and social declarations, and acceptance reports. This strict requirement is intended to verify the legitimacy of the state's commitments and ensure the repayment process is fully transparent.

According to the notice, this operation has three primary objectives. First, to effectively settle the domestic debts owed to companies. Second, to prevent future budget stress by ensuring that past arrears do not burden the 2026 Finance Law's execution. Finally, the government seeks to restore the credibility of the state's signature.

The government aims to eventually pay all future budgetary commitments within a maximum of 90 days, as required by law. The Economy Ministry has established new monitoring tools, such as the "accounting day," to ensure the prompt processing of submitted files. By restoring order to public finances and ending payment delays that have financially weakened contractors, the government hopes to create a more favorable business climate.

Addressing Financial Pressure

Official data shows Gabon's domestic debt reached 2.196 trillion CFA francs (approximately $3.57 billion) in February 2025, with 78% of the repayments concentrated in the 2025-2027 period. This debt level severely pressured public finances and limited the state's ability to invest.

Repaying these arrears is expected to restore confidence among national enterprises, giving them better financial clarity and predictability, and helping to preserve jobs. These steps are viewed as critical for genuinely relaunching the national economy, which currently faces pressure from rising international commodity costs.

This current initiative follows prior attempts to clear domestic debt. The "Club de Libreville," launched in 2018, failed to deliver on its promises. A 2020 task force established to resolve the debt issue conducted audits that revealed a significant portion of the debt was fictitious. These checks allowed the state to reimburse legitimate claims from companies that had executed their contracts as specified.

Sandrine Gaingne