Gabon private sector demands CNAMGS audit at GEF 2026

On Saturday, June 27, the Gabon Economic Forum (GEF) 2026 brought together the country’s key economic players at the Cité de la Démocratie in Libreville, under the umbrella of the Fédération des entreprises du Gabon (FEG). For the first time since its inception, the event was entirely designed and funded by the private sector, without any public subsidy or major institutional partnership. This shift in model reflects the Gabonese business community’s desire to assert its own voice vis-à-vis the state and to influence the economic reform agenda.

At the core of the FEG’s demands are two sensitive issues: the financial situation of the Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie et de garantie sociale (CNAMGS) and the thorny matter of internal debt, whose accumulation has for years suffocated the cash flow of local businesses. The organizers structured the work around eight thematic workshops, each designed as a priority area to be submitted to public authorities.

FEG calls for full CNAMGS audit to restore trust

The FEG formally requested a comprehensive audit of CNAMGS, the central body of Gabon’s social protection system. The demand is far from trivial. Employers contribute heavily to the fund without always receiving the expected level of service quality or transparency in financial flow management. Several speakers at the forum highlighted reimbursement delays to healthcare providers and persistent doubts about the model’s sustainability. For the business community, an independent audit would be a prerequisite for any structural reform of the sector. The federation believes that clarifying CNAMGS accounts is essential for the credibility of the future social pact that the transitional authorities aim to build. Behind this technical request lies a political imperative: restoring trust between private contributors and the public institutions that manage their payments.

Detailed internal debt repayment plan submitted to government

The second focus of the forum was internal debt, the Achilles’ heel of Gabon’s public finances. The FEG submitted a detailed repayment plan to the state, the result of consultations among members affected by arrears. Many SMEs, which form the backbone of the national economy, struggle to meet their own commitments because of uncollected receivables from the administration and parastatal bodies. The mechanism proposed by business leaders includes a phased payment schedule, prior certification of claims, and the establishment of a monitoring system involving the private sector. This approach aims to avoid repeating previous repayment plans, which were considered opaque and unevenly applied. It comes at a time when the transitional authorities are seeking to restore the credibility of the Gabonese state’s signature with both domestic suppliers and international donors.

Private sector takes the initiative

The decision to fully finance GEF 2026 from private funds is itself a political statement. It marks a break from the previous practice of major economic gatherings co-organized with the public sector, where the line between dialogue and official communication was often blurred. By handling the logistics and setting the debate agenda alone, the FEG asserts its role as a force for proposals rather than merely a relay for top-down policies. This stance comes at a pivotal moment for Gabon’s economy, caught between the need to diversify revenue sources beyond oil and manganese, the imperative to clean up public finances, and social pressure related to youth employment. The forum’s eight workshops covered most of these issues, from infrastructure to taxation, and from the business climate to vocational training.

It now remains to be seen how the authorities will receive the proposals put forward. The FEG’s method, combining technical documents with quantified demands, places the executive squarely before its responsibilities: either respond point by point or face a hardening of business discourse at future meetings.