Gabon implements civil service reforms and salary caps

The Gabonese government is implementing significant reforms to reduce public sector spending and clean up the civil service payroll. Following a biometric and administrative census, the Exceptional Disputes Commission has approved the removal of 1,473 agents from the payroll. This measure, presented by Civil Service Minister Laurence Ndong, is expected to save the state approximately 11.3 billion FCFA annually.

The removals address issues such as job abandonment, undeclared deaths, and irregular retirements. The Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance accounted for the highest number of cases. While 292 cases were rehabilitated, the operation has already resulted in the suspension of billions of FCFA in salaries.

In addition to personnel reductions, new decrees have placed strict caps on the remuneration of public executives by limiting bonuses to 40% of base salaries. However, concerns have been raised regarding potential loopholes, specifically that officials might offset reduced salaries through increased mission expenses, such as international travel per diems and business class airfare, unless travel agendas are strictly audited.