AI regulation in Gabon: laws & policy (2026)
AI in Gabon: sectoral rules.
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.
Legal 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
Key points: artificial intelligence in Gabon
AI-content ordinance (2026)
Ordonnance n°0011/PR/2026 (55 articles, 11 chapters), published in the Official Gazette on 8 April 2026, explicitly prohibits non-consensual sexual deepfakes, AI-generated false statements attributed to real persons that endanger public order, minor-exploitation content, and state-institution impersonation; identity usurpation via AI is an aggravating circumstance carrying up to ten years' imprisonment and FCFA 50 million in fines.
UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment (RAM)
Launched in December 2023 by the Ministry of New Technologies in partnership with UNESCO, Gabon's RAM was among the first completed in Africa; the final report was presented to the Prime Minister in January 2024, forming the evidence base for the country's national AI strategy.
National Technical Committee for AI (CTN-IA)
UNESCO supported Gabon in establishing the CTN-IA as the institutional body coordinating AI governance and ethics policy; the committee provides a multi-stakeholder structure for policy development and implementation oversight.
National AI Agenda 2026-2036 (proposed)
The JIA 2026 conference (Artificial Intelligence Days, Libreville, 8-10 April 2026), co-organised with UNECA's Subregional Office for Central Africa, is intended to produce the Libreville Declaration launching a ten-year National AI Agenda covering digital sovereignty and economic diversification.
UNESCO ethical-AI endorsement
UNESCO publicly commended Gabon's approach as a model for human-rights-respecting AI governance in Africa, noting that the RAM process and CTN-IA reflect the principles of UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, which Gabon committed to implementing as a member state.
Digital strategy and ANINF infrastructure
Gabon's Emerging Digital Economy Strategy 2025 and a 2026 digital budget of CFA 82 billion (up 156%) embed AI within broader digital-sovereignty goals; the National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF) is implementing foundational infrastructure partnerships necessary for AI deployment.
Sources
- journal-officiel.ga/22404-0011-pr-2026-/
- unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000390429
- primature.gouv.ga/2-actualites/1418-societe/2205-intelligence-artificielle-le-rapport-d
- unesco.org/ethics-ai/en/gabon
- unesco.org/en/articles/strengthening-ai-governance-africa-unesco-supports-gnais-
- uneca.org/eca-events/aid-2026-gabon-artificial-intelligence-days-2026
- uneca.org/eca-events/sites/default/files/resources/concept_note_jia-aid_gabon_2
- gabonmediatime.com/gabon-deepfakes-faux-contenus-desinformation-le-gouvernement-encadre-
- wearetech.africa/en/fils-uk/news/tech/gabon-targets-smart-administration-with-new-digi
- unesco.org/fr/articles/le-gabon-se-mobilise-pour-une-gouvernance-ethique-de-lint
- techreviewafrica.com/news/2507/gabon-drives-digital-sovereignty-through-aninf-st-partnersh
Next for Gabon: Data & PrivacyComprehensive law
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026