Resource information
In 2009 the Gabonese authorities defined
a new vision whose strategic guidelines are detailed in an
operational plan, the strategic plan for an emerging Gabon
(PSGE) whose goal is to turn Gabon into an emerging country
within one generation. PSGE includes an ambitious public
investment program to develop basic infrastructure and to
create the necessary economic environment for the emergence
of a diversified economy. The major challenge for PSGE, and
how it can be different from previous development plans,
will be to become a growth model that is both sustainable
and inclusive, leading to a significant improvement in the
revenue and living conditions of all Gabonese people. This
report is a contribution to the debate on how to achieve
this goal. It was developed as part of the implementation of
a new World Bank intervention strategy in Gabon wherein
competitiveness and employment is the first pillar. It
identifies the main obstacles to the low impact of economic
growth on employment in Gabon and makes recommendations that
will foster dialogue between the World Bank and the Gabonese
authorities on the subject. The report is divided into three
parts: (i) an analysis of Gabons economic performance since
the independence and its effect on employment, (ii) an
analysis of the main characteristics of the labor market,
and (iii) a review of the main obstacles to job creation.
The conclusion recommends some options for reforming the
labor market as well as the legal and institutional
framework for employment promotion in Gabon.
