Gabon: Outstanding Debt to the IMF Drops by 29.4 Billion CFA Francs in Five Months

This decline represents about 29.4 billion CFA francs and 10.6% of the outstanding amount recorded five months earlier. It results from repayments made under previous programs agreed with the International Monetary Fund, and not from any debt cancellation.

The decrease is part of a longer-term trend. The outstanding debt to the IMF was still 670.28 million SDRs at the end of 2023, then 499.77 million at the end of 2024, and 369.76 million at the end of 2025. In less than three years, the amount owed to the institution has thus been reduced by more than half.

However, this development concerns only the IMF claims. It does not mean that Gabon’s total public debt is decreasing at the same rate, as Libreville continues to raise funds from other creditors and on the regional market.

A decline as Libreville prepares a new program

This movement comes at a time when Gabonese authorities are seeking to conclude a new program with the IMF. Discussions are focused on a framework of economic and budgetary reforms likely to open access to new financing, while the country must balance investment needs, deficit control, and debt sustainability.

By the end of July, the outstanding debt to the Fund had already been reduced to about 325 million SDRs. Repayments made in August continued this trend, reaching 319.05 million SDRs at the close of the month.

The main challenge for Libreville now is to align this reduction in exposure to the IMF with a broader stabilization of public finances. The ability to mobilize more revenue, contain current expenditures, reduce arrears, and direct new borrowings toward productive investments will remain crucial.

Other deadlines related to previous programs remain scheduled. At the same time, a potential new agreement with the IMF could open a new phase of disbursements, making the trajectory of overall debt, rather than just the level of IMF claims, central.