Such inequality adds to a disproportionate fiscal burden; these subsidies have absorbed the equivalent of the entire health sector allocations, while exceeding the average observed across sub-Saharan Africa.


The international financial institution points to the rigidity of these expenditures, exacerbated by the volatility of global crude oil prices amid international geopolitical tensions. While the initial finance law aimed to absorb these mechanisms, the surge in prices forced Libreville to approve financial extensions in the revised budget, thereby delaying the reform agenda. For Washington, this situation distorts the optimal allocation of public funds and deprives vital sectors of indispensable maneuvering room.

Faced with these recurring fiscal risks, the organization advocates a gradual but resolute dismantling of these subsidies, coupled with targeted accompanying measures. The resulting savings would be redirected toward direct cash transfers to poor households and investment in health and education infrastructure.


The success of this transition will condition the improvement of the country’s financial governance and the preservation of its macroeconomic balances in the long term.


Nlend Flore

Tags: gabon banque mondiale subventions carburants réforme budgétaire économie africaine gouvernance financière transfert monétaire infrastructures santé volatilité pétrole macroeconomie