What happens when a government discovers that hundreds of people have been collecting public salaries without ever setting foot in an office? That is the dilemma Gabon has confronted head-on, and the answer has come with a hefty price tag — and an equally hefty promise. More than 1,400 state employees have been officially dismissed for abandoning their posts, following a sweeping accounting and biometric audit ordered by the transitional authorities to clean up public administration records.
The scale of the problem: paying for work that never happened
For years, a quiet drain on Gabon’s treasury went largely unchecked. Individuals continued to receive their monthly salaries without ever showing up for work. Some were living abroad, others held simultaneous jobs in the private sector, and many had simply walked away from their desks long ago.
By removing these 1,473 agents who failed to report for duty, the Gabonese state stands to save more than 11 billion CFA francs (roughly 16.7 million euros) every year. According to the government, this recovered money will be channeled into projects that directly benefit the population — renovating hospitals, building schools, and hiring genuine teachers and healthcare workers.
Strict controls, but verification is still ongoing
While many citizens have welcomed the decision, fed up with the waste of public funds, some unions are urging caution. They want assurances that no regular worker has been dismissed by mistake due to a technical glitch in the database.
The ministry has stated that questionable cases will be reviewed individually. However, the state is warning that anyone who received salaries without working could face legal action to repay the undue money.
A necessary cleanup for the future
This large-scale operation demonstrates the current authorities’ determination to restore order in the country’s management. But dismissing absentees is only part of the solution: it will also be crucial to ensure that these bad habits do not return and that every public franc is now used for Gabon’s development.
