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Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Gabon country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=gab].
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 The GABONESE REPUBLIC
Humanitarian Country Profile |
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Background
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Last update: August 2007 |
Gabon is a resource-rich country on the west coast of Africa, on the equator. The first Europeans to arrive in the region were the Portuguese. Soon after the British, French and Dutch took an interest and began to trade slaves, ivory and timber.
The French gradually gained control over the area in the early 1800s when they signed treaties with local chiefs. In 1849, the French captured a slave ship and released the slaves on a settlement then known as Baraka. They renamed the settlement Libreville and today it is Gabon's capital.
In 1910 Gabon became part of French Equatorial Africa, along with the Republic of Congo, Chad and the Central African Republic. This union lasted until 1959 when Gabon voted to become an autonomous republic within the French Community. Gabon gained independence in 1960, but kept close economic and cultural ties with France.
Leon M'ba was elected president in 1961 and introduced a one-party system. He was toppled in a military coup in 1964, but when elections were held that same year he was voted back in. In 1967 he died of natural causes and his vice-president, Alfred Bongo, became president.
Bongo, who later changed his name to El Hadj Omar Bongo after converting to Islam, has stayed in power since that time. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the country experienced steady economic growth and prosperity from its oil revenues and the processing of manganese and uranium deposits.
An economic recession in the 1980s hit the country hard, and living standards began to plummet. Widespread discontent led to a general strike that forced Bongo to introduce a multi-party system. The first multi-party elections were held in 1993 and were won by Bongo. Opposition parties disputed the results.
He was re-elected for another seven-year term in 2005.
Peace and security
Despite instability in the region, Gabon has managed to remain peaceful and has experienced very little internal strife.
The country has a professional military that numbers approximately 10,000, but according to the US State Department is not trained to play an offensive role. The president also has a 1,500-member, well-trained and well-equipped security guard.
Since the 1970s, Gabon has had a territorial dispute with its northern neighbour, Equatorial Guinea, over three small islands that lie off the coast of both countries and are potentially oil rich. In 2004 both countries agreed to conduct joint oil exploration in their offshore waters and to continue working towards resolving the border issue. After soliciting help from the UN, the heads of both countries agreed to meet in Geneva in March 2006 to begin talks. In December 2006 President Bongo said talks were at an impasse and he was ready to ask the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute.
IDPs/Refugees
According to Gabon's National Refugee Commission (NRC) , there are 12,700 refugees in Gabon, of which 80 percent are from the Republic of Congo. The second largest group is from Chad.
An NRC survey found that most refugees live in Upper Ogooue Province in the southeast, and in Estuaire Province where the capital, Libreville, is located.
There have been reports of police extortion and harassment relating to refugees. In 2005 some 40 refugees from the Republic of Congo were forcibly repatriated after a police crackdown on illegal immigrants. The issuing of refugee cards by the government in 2006 was designed to improve the situation. The card provides proper identification, allows freedom of movement, grants the right to work, ensures access to healthcare and provides for schooling. These rights are not extended to asylum-seekers.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) noted that despite the signing of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement with the Republic of Congo in 2001, there was a low rate of repatriation and the number of Congolese refugees in Gabon had remained about the same. Recognising that most refugees want to stay in Gabon, the UNHCR is working towards durable solutions for the integration of refugees.
Democracy and governance
Gabon's current president, Omar Bongo, has been in power since 1967, making him Africa's longest-serving leader. Gabon was a one-party state until violent protests in 1990 forced Bongo to permit a multi-party system. Bongo has won all elections since that time. He amended the constitution in 2003 to remove limitations on the number of terms a president can serve.
According to Freedom House, the people of Gabon cannot democratically change their government and it noted that multi-party elections have been consistently flawed and marred by irregularities. It said the 1993 elections were rigged, that the government in 1998 made profligate use of state resources and exploited the media, and that the 2005 elections had inaccurate and incomplete voter lists.
Opposition parties have accused Bongo of multiple voting, ballot stuffing, vote buying and falsifying census figures to place false names on the electoral register.
Both the 1993 and 2005 elections were followed by violence as protesters contested the vote and clashed with security forces.
Freedom House said many observers believe Bongo is grooming his son, Ali Bongo, to succeed him. Ali Bongo has been defence minister since 1999.
Media
Although the law provides for a free press, the state keeps a tight rein on state-owned media and places limitations on the independent press.
NGO Article 19 expressed concern over the fact that the public media were not independent of political authority, private media houses were regularly suspended, defamation was considered a criminal offence, and legal provisions guaranteeing access to information had yet to be established.
In September 2006, the newspaper L'Echo du Nord was suspended for three months for publishing an article on the territorial dispute between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RWB), coverage in the state press is unbalanced and frequently critical of the opposition. Privately-owned publications, some of which are run by the opposition, struggle financially, publish irregularly and staff are frequently harassed by security forces. Freedom House said many newspapers were printed in neighbouring Cameroon due to high printing costs in Gabon and that publications printed outside the country were subject to review before distribution.
Gabon is ranked 114 out of 168 countries on RWB's 2006 Press Freedom Index. This is down from 102 the previous year. Freedom House in 2006 ranked Gabon 33rd out of 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of press freedom, and said it was 67 percent "not free".
Economy
Gabon's economy depends heavily on oil revenues, which accounted for 50.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005. According to the UK Foreign Office , oil makes up 63 percent of government revenue and 80 percent of exports.
Due to its oil revenue and low population, Gabon has one of the highest GDPs per capita in sub-Saharan Africa. According the UN Development Programme (UNDP), it is $6,623, which is four times the sub-Saharan average. Still, poverty is widespread.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gabon's economy is highly vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices, and in the past has also been mismanaged, with wasteful public investments, including overspending on the Transgabonais railway.
In 2004 Gabon announced that it was prepared to abide by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to monitor the spending of oil revenues and produced its first report in December 2005.
Annual oil production is on the decline in the country. The IMF says Gabon has proven oil reserves of 2.02 billion barrels but that production will decrease by half in 20 years, and could be exhausted within 30 years if no new sources are found.
To offset the loss of oil revenues, the government is trying to find ways to diversify the economy and encourage non-oil sectors. Timber, manganese and iron ore are Gabon's other large exports. The country is also trying to develop its tourism industry, and 10 percent of the country's land has been designated as national park, the highest percentage in the world.
According to the US State Department, impediments to economic diversification include a reliance on French imports, inability to capitalise on regional markets, lack of entrepreneurial zeal among the Gabonese, and a relatively small population that translates into a small market.
In 2006, the government prepared its first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper designed to improve infrastructure, basic social services and governance, and stimulate employment.
Population
Gabon has a small population of only 1.4 million, and nearly 75 percent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate is 1.4 percent and on average women give birth to four children.
The main ethnic group is the Fang, who make up nearly 30 percent of the population. Other ethnic groups include the Punu, Nzebi, Mpongwe and Teke. There is a small French community that makes up about seven percent of the population.
Over 90 percent of the population is Christian, and of that 55 percent is Roman Catholic. Five percent of the population is Muslim and a small minority practice traditional beliefs.
Development indicators
Gabon is ranked 124 out of 177 countries on the UNDP's Human Development Index (HDI) . This is low in view of Gabon's relatively high per capita GDP and there is a 43-point gap between Gabon's GDP per capita index rating and its HDI rating. According to the IMF, Gabon's social indicators are more in line with those of low income countries in sub-Sahara Africa, and the UNDP in Gabon estimates that 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Life expectancy at birth in Gabon is 54 years, and there is a 32.6 percent probability of not surviving past the age of 40. An improved water source is available to 88 percent of the population and 12 percent of children under five are underweight.
The combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment rate is 72.4 percent and the adult literacy rate is 71 percent.
Education
Gabon's Education Act makes school compulsory 6-16. According to the UNDP in Gabon, the net enrolment rate for primary school is 92 percent, which is above average for the region. Attendance rates are high across all income groups and are equally high for girls and boys and in urban and rural areas.
These figures, however, hide certain gaps in Gabon's educational system. There is a high rate of repetition, particularly in the first and second years of primary school. This is accompanied by a high drop-out rate. Approximately 25 percent of children enrolled in school will not complete their primary education. Frequently, students must pay for books, uniforms and school supplies, which can hinder access for some children.
Contributing factors to these problems include a lack of teachers, a poor quality curriculum and substandard training of teachers. The International Bureau of Labour Affairs (IBLA) says other problems with the education system include poor management and planning, a shortage of teaching materials and lack of oversight.
The government has put in a place a strategic education plan to help achieve its Millennium Development Goals in this area.
Children
Gabon's labour laws set the minimum working age at 16, and this is strictly enforced in urban areas, but less so in rural areas. The IBLA estimates that 12.4 percent of children aged 10-14 are working. Labour laws, however, only apply to Gabonese children and not those trafficked into the country to work.
A social practice called "placement" forces many children into labour. Poor families will send their children to live with more affluent families to receive an education in exchange for work. Children are frequently abused and the IBLA reports that some children are being trafficked or used for commercial sexual exploitation.
Gabon is a common destination point for children trafficked from Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Equatorial Guinea. Children are found working as domestic servants, in the informal commercial sector or as mechanics. The IBLA says children are bought for as little as US$14 and sold for up to $340.
Gabon enacted a law against child trafficking in 2004 and is one of nine countries participating in the International Labour Organisation's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour project in Central and West Africa.
Radio France Internationale reported in 2006 that police lacked the means to intercept trafficking rings and often turned a blind eye to the problem.
In Gabon, early marriage is practiced and the legal age for girls to marry is 15. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 30 percent of girls were married before the age of 18 in urban areas and 49 percent in rural parts.
UNICEF also said youth in rural and isolated areas such as the province of Maritime Ogooué, face problems such as prostitution, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and early pregnancy.
Health
According to the UNDP , Gabon has similar health indicators to poor countries. Figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that there are 29 doctors for every 100,000 people.
The UNDP in Gabon says there are disparities in health coverage due in part to the high cost of medical visits and medicines, with poorer families feeling the pinch.
The maternal mortality rate is 520 deaths for every 100,000 live births; WHO says 85.5 percent of births are assisted by a skilled attendant.
Infant mortality is 60 deaths for every 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate is 91 for every 1,000 children. According to the UNDP in Gabon, the main causes of death are malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoea, anaemia, malnutrition and measles.
UNICEF reports that despite a commitment by the government to make vaccinations available in all health centres, immunisation coverage is low. Only 55 percent of children are vaccinated for measles and 31 percent for polio.
The country has experienced outbreaks of measles, and in 2002 there was an outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever Ebola in the north.
UNICEF reports that only 36 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitation facilities.
HIV/AIDS
According to the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) , the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Gabon is 7.9 percent.
To address the epidemic, Gabon created a National Programme for the Fight against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (PNLS/IST) run by the Ministry for Public Health. It is charged with monitoring the epidemic, improving knowledge about the disease, preventing transmission and improving treatment for HIV-positive patients.
The ministry released an epidemiological report in 2005 that found that between 1998 and 2001 more women than men were infected with HIV, with a ratio of one man infected for every two women. Since 2002, though, the ratio has evened, and there have been as many infected men as women. It found that no age group is spared from HIV infection and women in the 20-29 age range appeared more vulnerable to infection.
The report noted that not all provinces are sufficiently involved in monitoring the spread of the disease, and UNAIDS found that inefficient monitoring and evaluation has been one of the main weaknesses in control efforts.
According to UNAIDS, 23 percent of HIV-infected adults receive antiretroviral treatments (ARVs), but only 0.7 percent of pregnant women receive treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission.
UNAIDS estimates that there are 3,900 children under 14 living with HIV/AIDS and 20,000 children under 17 have been orphaned by the disease.
Food security
Gabon relies heavily on imports to fulfil its food needs.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said 47 percent of the country's food requirements need to be imported and the country spends $160 million annually on these imports. It is estimated that only 2 percent of the land suitable for cultivation is under use.
At present, 34 percent of the population is engaged in agricultural production, yet agriculture only contributes to 4.9 percent of GDP.
Hindrances to food production include high urbanisation, poor road infrastructure, weak capacity to exploit land and outdated agricultural techniques.
The FAO recommended the creation of an inter-ministerial commission for food security and development.
According to the UNDP, only 5 percent of the population is undernourished. Twelve percent of children under five are underweight and 21 percent have stunted growth.
Gender issues
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) , Gabon's constitution recognises gender equality and the government has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
A committee to monitor CEDAW noted that there were still several discrepancies in the implementation of the convention.
It expressed concern over slow progress in amending a list of discriminatory laws passed in 1997. It said traditional resistance could be found in legal texts and in everyday practice, and that there were socio-cultural obstacles to eliminating discrimination against women. The committee pointed to discriminatory provisions in the civil and penal codes that pertain to the minimum age of marriage, divorce, custody of children, equal inheritance rights of widows and recognition of polygamy.
There was also a lack of specific legislation to eliminate violence against women, particularly domestic violence.
Although the law stipulates that women have access to justice and redress for rights violations, economic and cultural obstacles prevent them from doing so.
In 2002, the president requested that each electoral list include at least three female candidates, but disparities continue to exist at the political level. According to UNFPA, 12 out of 49 government positions are held by women, and only 26 out of the 211 members of parliament are women.
Human rights
In 2004, Gabon's vice-prime minister in charge of human rights presented a government report on the human rights situation in Gabon. He denounced frequent abuses by security forces and arbitrary detentions.
A 2005 human rights report by the US State Department found that the country's human rights record remained poor. It said there were unconfirmed reports that police committed politically motivated arrests and killings, and that security forces sometimes beat and tortured prisoners to extract confessions. Prisons are also overcrowded and in poor condition.
The same report found that official corruption is widespread, and the judiciary is influenced by the government since the president is responsible for appointing and dismissing judges.
Humanitarian needs
The UNDP in Gabon estimates that 33 percent of the population is poor, and poverty is largely concentrated in urban areas.
Rapid urbanisation has created the need for better sanitation facilities and refuse collection. |
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| Gabon in figures | · Population: 1.4 million
· Pop. growth rate: 1.5 %
· GDP per capita: $6,623
· Debt service of GDP: 3.1%
· Pop. below poverty line: NA
· Life expectancy: 54 years
· Infant mortality: 60 deaths/1,000 live births
· Access to med. services: NA
· HIV prevalence: 7.9 %
· Access to clean water: (urban 95%, rural 47%)
· Access to electricity: NA
· Literacy rate: 71 %
· Doctors/people: 0.29/1,000
· Displaced people: NA
· Refugees: 12,700
· Human development index: 0.633 (HDI 2006 Rank 124 out of 177)
Sources: UNDP, UNAIDS, World Bank, WHO, UNHCR |
| Basic facts | Capital: Libreville
Language: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi
Ethnic Groups %: Fang 28.6%, Punu 10.2%,Nzebi 8.9%, French 6.7%, Mpongwe 4.1%, Teke 4%, other 37.4 %
Religions %: Roman Catholic 56.8%, Protestant 17.8%, independent Christian 13.7%, Muslim 4.6%, traditional beliefs 3.1%, other 1.7%
Geography: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savannah in east and south
Border countries: Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Agriculture products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, maize, plantains, sugarcane, cassava, cattle, fish
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica |
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