Is Gabon finally moving closer to an IMF programme as debt pressures mount?

• IMF to send staff mission to Libreville in February
• Debt projected above CEMAC limits, Fitch warns

LIBREVILLE, GABON – Gabon is cautiously reopening dialogue with the International Monetary Fund as fiscal pressures build, even though it has not formally asked for financial assistance.

The IMF said this week it expects to dispatch a staff mission to Libreville in February to assess macroeconomic and fiscal conditions and to discuss policy priorities with the authorities. The visit would deepen what the Fund described as “stepped-up engagement” following a recent reshuffle of Gabon’s economic team, despite the absence of a formal request for IMF-backed financing.