Gabon: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: CEMAC supra-national regulation: COBAC Decision D-2022/071 (6 May 2022) prohibiting financial institutions from handling crypto-assets; CEMAC Regulation No. 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/COSUMAF (July 2022) introducing VASP/ICO provisions; overseen by BEAC (central bank), COBAC (banking supervisor), and COSUMAF (capital-markets regulator). Gabon has no standalone domestic crypto statute.

Gabon relies entirely on CEMAC-level regulation and has enacted no domestic crypto-specific law. Banks, microfinance institutions, and payment service providers are prohibited from facilitating any cryptocurrency transactions under COBAC Decision D-2022/071. CEMAC's 2022 Financial Market Regulation creates a nascent VASP and ICO approval framework under COSUMAF, but implementing instructions remain unpublished as of May 2026, while BEAC has publicly opposed private crypto adoption and is developing a sovereign digital CFA franc instead.

Framework: Ordonnance n°0011/PR/2026 du 26 février 2026 (AI-generated content & deepfakes); National Technical Committee for AI (CTN-IA) under the Ministry of New Technologies, Information and Communication

Gabon has no comprehensive AI law but enacted Ordonnance n°0011/PR/2026 on 26 February 2026, the country's first instrument explicitly regulating artificial intelligence, targeting AI-generated deepfakes, disinformation, and identity manipulation, with penalties up to ten years imprisonment and FCFA 50 million. Concurrently, Gabon completed a UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) in 2024, established the National Technical Committee for AI (CTN-IA), and is developing a National AI Agenda 2026-2036 anchored to the forthcoming Libreville Declaration.

Framework: Law No. 001/2011 on the Protection of Personal Data (as amended by Law No. 025/2023 of 9 July 2023); supervisory authority: Autorité pour la Protection des Données Personnelles et de la Vie Privée (APDPVP)

Gabon enacted one of Sub-Saharan Africa's earliest comprehensive data protection laws in 2011 (Law No. 001/2011), subsequently modernised by Law No. 025/2023 which entered force on 15 July 2023. The 2023 amendment upgraded the supervisory body from the former CNPDCP to the independent APDPVP, introduced GDPR-influenced rights (portability, erasure, restriction), mandated data-impact assessments for high-risk processing, and tightened breach-notification obligations. The framework applies to all public and private entities processing personal data in Gabon.

Framework: CEMAC/COBAC Regulation No. 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC on Payment Services (in force 1 January 2019); overseen by COBAC (Banking Commission of Central Africa) and BEAC (Bank of Central African States)

Gabon's digital payments sector is governed by the supranational CEMAC framework, principally COBAC Regulation 04/18 (2019), which created a formal licensing regime for non-bank payment institutions and e-money issuers applicable in all six CEMAC member states including Gabon. Licensed mobile money operators (Airtel Money and Moov Money) operate under COBAC authorisation, and BEAC runs the regional payment infrastructure (SYGMA, SYSTAC, GIMACPAY) that covers Gabon. No dedicated open banking or BNPL framework exists at either the CEMAC or Gabon national level as of mid-2026.

Framework: Direction Générale de la Documentation et de l'Immigration (DGDI), governs all visa issuance, work permits, and Carte de Séjour (residence permits) under Gabon's dual-authorization system requiring Ministry of Labour and DGDI approvals

Gabon has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa category. Foreign nationals wishing to reside long-term must obtain a long-stay visa followed by a Carte de Séjour, but all recognized residency pathways are tied to local employment (employer-sponsored work permit), in-country independent business activity (Ministry of Commerce approval), property ownership, or retirement income, none of which accommodate someone working remotely for a foreign employer. No golden-visa or residency-by-investment program exists.

Framework: Law No. 027/2023 on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime; Ordinance No. 0011/PR/2026 on Social Networks and Digital Platforms; ARCEP (telecommunications regulator); HAC (Haute Autorité de la Communication, content/media regulator)

Gabon has a fragmented but growing online safety framework built across several laws, cybersecurity (2023), data protection (2023), electronic transactions (2021), and a landmark set of three ordinances on social-network regulation signed 26 February 2026 and published in the Official Journal in April 2026. No single comprehensive online safety statute equivalent to the EU DSA or UK OSA exists; the 2026 ordinances are still undergoing parliamentary ratification as of May 2026. The state has also resorted to outright internet and social-media shutdowns (August 2023 elections; February 2026), indicating enforcement practice that goes beyond the formal legal framework.

Framework: Loi No. 027/2023 du 11 juillet 2023 portant réglementation de la cybersécurité et la lutte contre la cybercriminalité; complemented by Loi No. 025/2023 on personal data protection and supervised by the APDPVP

Gabon enacted Law No. 027/2023 in July 2023 as its primary comprehensive cybersecurity statute, imposing binding security obligations on all public and private entities, protecting critical infrastructure, and establishing criminal penalties for cybercrime. It superseded Ordonnance No. 15-PR-2018 and operates alongside an updated personal data protection law (Loi No. 025/2023). In late 2024 Gabon's transitional authorities initiated ratification of the AU Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection.

Framework: OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies (Acte Uniforme OHADA relatif aux sociétés commerciales); Gabon Investment Charter (Loi N°15/1998); ANPI-Gabon single-window GNI digital platform; draft new Investment Code adopted by Council of Ministers March 2025

Gabon has substantially streamlined company formation via ANPI's digital GNI portal, enabling registration in 24-72 hours for most entity types. Foreign investors face no general ownership caps in most sectors, though petroleum and certain other sectors carry specific government participation requirements, and some laws on local majority ownership remain unsettled. A new Investment Code adopted in draft by the Council of Ministers in March 2025 aims to further modernize and clarify the framework.