2022 Fiscal Transparency Report: Gabon

Government-by-Government Assessments: Gabon

During the review period, the government published its end-of-year report online within a reasonable period.  It did not make its executive budget proposal or enacted budget publicly available within a reasonable period.  Information on debt obligations, excluding state-owned enterprise debt, was publicly available and updated within a reasonable period.  Publicly available budget documents provided a substantially complete picture of the government’s planned expenditures and revenues, but they were not considered reliable.  As the enacted budget was not published, it was unclear whether it reasonably corresponded to actual revenues and expenditures.  However, the government revised its budget estimates in quarterly budget reports.  The supreme audit institution met international standards of independence.  It reviewed the government’s accounts but did not make its reports publicly available.  The government did not fully specify in law or regulation the criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licenses and did not consistently follow them in practice.  Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was not publicly available.  The sovereign wealth fund did not have a sound legal framework or disclose its source of funding or general approach to withdrawals.

Gabon’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:

• Making the executive budget proposal and enacted budget publicly available within a reasonable period;
• Publishing information on state-owned enterprise debt within a reasonable period;
• Making audit reports publicly available within a reasonable period;
• Clarifying in law or regulation the process by which the government awards contracts or licenses for natural resource extraction,
• Following such laws and regulations in practice;
• Making basic information for natural resource extraction awards publicly available; and
• Establishing the sovereign wealth fund’s sound legal framework and disclosing its source of funding and general approach to withdrawals.