During the closing of the Gabon Economic Forum (GEF), Alain-Claude Kouakoua, president of the Fédération des entreprises du Gabon (FEG), highlighted the most sensitive issue in the national economy: the government’s debt to private companies.
Although this debt has been estimated at 4,340 billion FCFA for years, Mr. Kouakoua believes it is likely overvalued. According to the FEG chair, not all claims deserve to be recognized. Some files are questionable, with insufficient or irregular documentation.
A joint audit, conducted together with the dedicated Task Force and the Ministry of Economy, will now carry out a crucial sorting: separating the certain debt—duly verified and accepted by both sides—from the uncertain debt that will not be committed. No repayment will be approved until this work is completed. One consequence is already clear: the final amount will be lower than the figure that has been circulating for months. Moreover, approximately 50% of this debt has reportedly already been settled since the CTRI came to power in August 2023. Alain-Claude Kouakoua also noted that companies that received payments never disclosed the information, and this silence perpetuated the ambiguity.
The entire upcoming mechanism aligns with one of the GEF 2026 recommendations: to prioritize clearing domestic debt, including VAT credits and public procurement arrears, through accelerated mechanisms, securitization, and cross-imputation, under a national clearance program with a published monitoring dashboard and a National Monitoring Committee. This committee will essentially be the reinstatement of the Club de Libreville.
While the reliability of public statistics and the improvement of CNAMGS were central to the discussions, the government’s debt to private firms remained the top priority.
For Gabon’s private sector, this announcement comes at the right time. After years of uncertainty, litigation, and waiting, the path is finally open for a predictable, negotiated, and verified settlement. For many, this is the primary condition for gradually restoring mutual trust between the government and businesses.
