Gabon

Gabon is a unitary presidential republic on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, with a population of around 2.5 million and its capital and largest city at Libreville. A former French colony that gained independence on 17 August 1960, it retains close ties to France and to the French language; French is the official language, alongside regional languages such as Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Punu and Teke. The economy is dominated by oil, which accounts for the bulk of export revenue, complemented by manganese mining and timber.

Gabon’s media landscape is comparatively dense for its population (the regulator has cited dozens of television channels and radio stations and well over a hundred online outlets) but the state retains a central position through four publicly controlled outlets tracked by the State Media Monitor: the national broadcaster Radio Télévision Gabonaise (RTG), the national news agency Agence Gabonaise de Presse (AGP), the press and publishing company SONAPRESSE (publisher of the daily L’Union), and the rolling-news channel Gabon 24. All four are classified State-Controlled (SC) for 2026, with SONAPRESSE and Gabon 24 newly added to the dataset this cycle.

Gabon’s political order was reshaped by the coup d’état of 30 August 2023, which ended more than half a century of rule by the Bongo family and brought General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema to power at the head of a transition. A new constitution was adopted by referendum in November 2024, establishing a presidential system, and Oligui Nguema won the presidential election of 12 April 2025. The transition gave way to elected government, and on 1 January 2026 the President formed the Oligui Nguema II government, the second government after the transition and the 2025 election, naming Hugues Alexandre Barro Chambrier as Vice-President of the Republic and Hermann Immongault as Vice-President of the Government. Germain Biahodjow became Minister of Communication and Media, succeeding Paul-Marie Gondjout. The state’s communication apparatus (RTG, AGP, SONAPRESSE and Gabon 24) operates within this executive orbit, with senior appointments made through government and Council of Ministers processes and, in the case of Gabon 24, attachment directly to the Presidency of the Republic.

The 2026 cycle was marked by a sharp tightening of the media-regulatory environment. On 17 February 2026, the regulator, the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC), chaired by Germain Ngoyo Moussavou, issued Decision No. 0002/HAC/2026 ordering a precautionary suspension of access to social-media services across the national territory, a measure reported internationally on 18 February and justified by the authorities as a response to a rise in “information disorders.” The decision drew criticism over the apparent involvement of the Presidency in a measure formally taken by an independent regulator, and the affected platforms were not all specified. In March 2026, Minister Biahodjow denounced as defamatory an interview broadcast by France 24 with former first lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba and raised the possibility of suspending the channel. A reform of the HAC’s legal framework (an ordinance modifying the communication law of 3 July 2023) was before the National Assembly’s communication committee in May 2026. Gabon ranks 43rd of 180 countries and territories in the Reporters Without Borders 2026 World Press Freedom Index (score 70.57), down two places from 41st in 2025 but remaining among the highest-ranked countries in Central Africa, a standing tempered by detentions of journalists, including that of Gabon Media Time’s publication director in October 2025.

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