Gabon is once again at risk of an international sanction over how openly it reports on its natural resources. Gabonese civil society organisations working on natural resource governance say the country faces an outright suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) as early as 31 December. The daily newspaper L’Union reported their warning on Thursday, 13 November. sonapresse
The groups say the money is the problem. According to them, the Ministry of Economy, Finance and the Fight Against the High Cost of Living is still withholding the funds needed for the EITI work plan. Because of that freeze, the independent firm hired to reconcile the data for the 2024 EITI report has not been paid. That firm’s job is to compare what companies say they paid the state with what the state says it received. Until the work is done, the report cannot come out on time. gabonmediatime
The signatories did not mince their words. They called the delay an administrative obstacle that goes against President Oligui Nguema’s own vision, and they want the EITI’s funding guaranteed in future budget laws. They also warn that a suspension would send a bad signal to donors, investors and rating agencies at a time when Gabon needs their confidence.
A lot rides on this for a country so dependent on what lies underground. More than 60% of state revenue comes from oil and mining, according to the news site Gabonews. Gabon pumps around 200,000 barrels of oil a day and is the world’s second largest producer of manganese, thanks to the deposits at Moanda. gabonews
Gabon and the EITI have had a rocky history. In 2013, the EITI Board delisted Gabon after it failed to submit a validation report by the agreed deadline. The country was only readmitted in October 2021. Its first validation, completed in 2025, gave it a moderate score of 73.5 points along with 17 corrective actions to complete by July 2027. Its last report was also a close call. Gabon published it the day before the EITI Board met in March 2026, which kept it off the list of countries being considered for suspension. eitieiti
Oligui Nguema took power in the August 2023 coup and was elected president in 2025. A sanction would be embarrassing for him. His government has announced audits of mining contracts and plans to renegotiate oil agreements, all meant to show a clean break with the Bongo era. Being suspended from the EITI would cut directly against that message.
Nothing has been decided yet. Under EITI rules, a suspension for late reporting is temporary and is lifted once the overdue report is published. If the funds are released in time, Gabon can still avoid it. The economy ministry had not publicly responded to the civil society groups’ accusations at the time of writing.