Gabon: Operating a Business

Setting Up a Company

Société à responsabilité limitée (LLC/SARL): Number of partners: Minimum one shareholder and one director, which may be of any nationality and not be resident in the country
Capital (max/min): XAF 1 million minimum capital
Shareholders and liability: Liability is limited to the amount contributed.
Public Limited Company (PLC): Number of partners: Minimum one shareholder and one director, of any nationality. If the company has more than three shareholders, a board of directors must be appointed (with minimum three directors)
Capital (max/min): XAF 10 million minimum capital divided into shares
Shareholders and liability: Liability is limited to the extent of the shareholders' contributions
Limited Partnership (Société en Commandite Simple - SCS): Number of partners: At least two partners with no maximum.
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital required.
Shareholders and liability: Limited partners who do not participate in management have limited liability. However, general partners or managing partners have joint and unlimited liability
General Partnership (SNC): Number of partners: Minimum two partners
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital required.
Shareholders and liability: partners have joint and unlimited liability

Setting Up a Company	Gabon	Sub-Saharan Africa
Procedures (number)	7.0	7.5
Time (days)	10.0	21.3

Source: Doing Business.

Business Setup Procedures: Consult Doing Business Website, to know about procedures to start a Business in Gabon.

	2018	2019	2020
Labour Force	702,664	721,991	726,653

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Legal Weekly Duration: Art. 165 of the Labour code states that the legal employment’s duration is forty hours per week.
For agricultural enterprises, the employment hours duration is calculated by year, with a maximum of 2,400 hours.
A rest day per week is mandatory, and it has to consist of at least 24 consecutive hours.
Retirement Age: 60 years old. 55 years old in certain sectors of activity.
Working Contracts: According to art. 19 of the Labour Code, employment contracts can be either oral or written. In case a working contract is in written, it is exempted from stamp duties.
Working contracts can be concluded for a fixed term, opened ended or for a specific task. An employment contract must be in written if it is concluded for a fixed term (maximum two years) or for a specific task (art. 23 and 25).
Labour Laws: Consult the Labour Code, to obtain a summary of the labour regulations that apply in Gabon

Minimum Wage: The national monthly minimum wage is FCFA 150,000 (approx. USD 245), as established by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, with the last adjustment taking place in 2010.
Average Wage: There are no official data regarding the average salary in Gabon. According to salaryexplorer.com, the average salary is XOF 553,000 in 2021.
Social Contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: 20.1% of covered earnings.
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: 4.5% of covered earnings.

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners: Workers have the formal right to join unions, engage in collective bargaining, and strike under certain circumstances. However, since 2017 the government reduced the trade unions’ freedom following a strike of the teachers’ union CONASYSED (which was also barred from conducting any activities due to an allegation of disturbance to the public order). It has also been reported that the police used excessive force to disperse striking oil workers as well as students demonstrating in support of the striking teachers. Furthermore, another strike from the workers of the oil sector had suspended after the government’s intervention.
Labour Unions: Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)
Gabonese Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CGSL)
Unionisation Rate: N/A
Labour Regulation Bodies: Ministry of Labour

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