The Gabonese government has taken a significant step towards reducing its wage bill by announcing the removal of 1,473 public servants from the payroll. This decision was made by the Exceptional Disputes Commission after examining 1,765 cases. The commission's conclusions were presented by the Minister of Public Service, Laurence Ndong, on September 22 in Libreville. The exercise, which was conducted from June 8 to July 24, 2026, aimed to verify the effective presence of agents and the regularity of the payroll file.
The cases examined concerned various irregularities, including absenteeism, unreported deaths, unregularized retirements, and agents no longer attached to certain structures. Out of the 1,765 cases, 292 were rehabilitated with or without disciplinary sanctions. The Council of Ministers had previously validated the findings on September 18. The removals will result in significant savings for the government, with an estimated 11.3 billion FCFA ($16.9 million) in annual savings.
The removals will be implemented in phases, with 589 agents being removed with maintenance of pension rights, 110 without pension rights, and 600 concerning non-permanent workers. Three ministries - Education, Health, and Economy and Finance - account for over 700 cases, with 384, 222, and 111 cases respectively. The government hopes that this exercise will help to reduce its wage bill, which reached 809.1 billion FCFA ($1.2 billion) in 2025.
The financial impact of the removals is significant, with 1.905 billion FCFA ($2.8 million) in treasury bonds reversed between October 2024 and January 2025, and 9.414 billion FCFA ($14.1 million) in suspended salaries between February 2025 and June 2026. The total savings are estimated at 11.319 billion FCFA ($16.9 million). The government aims to sustainably clean up the payroll file and ensure more rigor in career monitoring.
Minister Ndong emphasized that merit and equity should guide the government's actions, calling for more rigor in monitoring careers. She also stressed that administrations must notify decisions and update management acts. The government's goal is to ensure that public servants are effectively present and working, and that the payroll file is accurate and up-to-date.
The exercise is part of a broader effort to improve public administration and reduce waste. The government has been working to implement reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability in the public sector. The removal of public servants from the payroll is expected to have a positive impact on the country's economy and public finances.
The government has given notice to public servants who are no longer entitled to receive salaries, and has urged them to regularize their situation. The move is expected to have a positive impact on the country's economy and public finances, and will help to ensure that public resources are used more efficiently.
Key points
- The Gabonese government has announced the removal of 1,473 public servants from the payroll, following a biometric and administrative census.
- The removals aim to reduce the government's wage bill, which reached 809.1 billion FCFA ($1.2 billion) in 2025.
- The exercise is part of a broader effort to improve public administration and reduce waste in the public sector.
