Gabon is advancing plans to strengthen and develop its national digital backbone through a proposed public-private partnership between the Société de Patrimoine des Infrastructures Numériques (SPIN) and Gabon Fiber.
Review and validation workshops for the proposed partnership were held in Libreville on September 9 and 10, bringing together government administrations, relevant authorities and technical experts to assess the draft partnership agreement and its supporting annexes.
The sessions were chaired by Aline Sylvie Minko-Mi-Etoua, Secretary General of the Ministry of Digital Economy, Digitalisation and Innovation, representing Minister Mark-Alexandre Doumba.
The discussions focused on incorporating observations and recommendations before the contractual framework is finalised. Participants reviewed key issues including investment commitments, the resumption of network operations, local value creation, network sovereignty, the financial framework and government oversight.
The proposed partnership covers approximately 3,420 kilometres of network infrastructure, consisting of 1,769 kilometres of existing infrastructure and a further 1,651 kilometres of planned network extensions.
Participants also examined the remaining contractual annexes required to conclude the agreement, with the SPIN-Gabon Fiber partnership scheduled for signing on September 14, 2026, in the presence of the Minister of Digital Economy.
The signing is expected to mark the transition from the review phase to implementation, supporting the continued operation, modernisation and expansion of Gabon’s national backbone.
The government considers the backbone strategic infrastructure for transporting electronic communications across the country. Its development is expected to strengthen national connectivity, reinforce digital sovereignty and provide infrastructure to support Gabon’s wider digital transformation agenda.
