Media in Gabon

The 2024 Constitution protects opinion, expression, communication and press rights in Gabon, while allowing restrictions required by public order and other laws. Ordonnance 0012/PR/2026 updates the Code de la Communication and covers print media, audiovisual media, digital media, platforms, blogs, messaging services and user-generated media. Media activities are generally free subject to the law, but disinformation, hate speech, violence, racism, tribalism, xenophobia and unlawful privacy violations are restricted. The Journal Officiel is the authoritative source for published legal texts. The Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC) is the independent administrative regulator for media. It handles authorisations to broadcast, distribute or publish, controls frequencies, sets conditions for creating and running media outlets, oversees programme quotas and publicity rules, and can receive complaints or act on its own initiative. Sanctions can include a warning, formal notice, suspension, prohibition or withdrawal of an authorisation or professional card. Ordonnance 0013/PR/2026 modifies the HAC framework. Current authorisation, complaint and card procedures should be checked with the HAC before an activity begins. Gabon’s press includes more than 60 reported print titles, although the current status, ownership, circulation, price and local reach of individual outlets require verification. L’Union is reported as the only national daily, alongside private weeklies such as Échos du Nord, La Loupe, L’Aube and Le Temps. Online journalism is expanding, with frequently cited websites including Gabonreview, Gabon Media Time and Gabonactu. Their current legal status, ownership and coverage should not be assumed from a name or an old listing. Broadcasting combines public and private radio and television, terrestrial transmission, satellite and pay television, and online distribution. Gabon Première is the main national television service and belongs to the Gabon Télévisions lineage formerly associated with RTG; its public mission covers information, education and entertainment. Gabon 24 provides continuous bilingual French and English news and is available in Gabon through Canal+ Afrique and Satcon. Actual coverage varies by area and distribution method. Streaming is available through global online services, broadcaster streams and social video, but no reliable nationwide inventory of Gabon-specific services, prices or catalogues is established. Access depends on mobile data or fixed broadband, a suitable device, electricity, payment options and the service’s territorial availability. Copyright, privacy rules and platform terms apply to streamed and uploaded material. ARCEP reported 2,405,614 declared internet subscriptions in the first quarter of 2026. Mobile subscriptions accounted for 94.43% and fixed subscriptions for 5.57%; 94.436% were classified as high-speed and 5.563% as very-high-speed. Reported company shares were Moov Africa Gabon Telecom Mobile 53.850%, Airtel Gabon 40.585%, Moov Africa Gabon Telecom Fixe 3.019%, GVA 2.544% and GBM 0.003%. Subscriptions do not equal unique people, and the penetration denominator uses an older census benchmark. ARCEP covers electronic communications, companies, infrastructure, quality and competition. Data, fibre, mobile, television and print prices vary by company and outlet, and no reliable nationwide tariff set is established. Gabon’s communication rules also cover social networks, blogs, messaging and user media. People have rights to rectification, updating and erasure, and a right of reply that must generally be exercised within 48 hours under the cited framework. Duties concern identity, privacy, intellectual property, image, honour, child protection and data security. A judge may order graded restrictions on illegal content in a grave viral disturbance, for a maximum of 72 hours under the researched rule. Impersonation and misuse of artificial intelligence can create criminal exposure. The digital majority age is 16. Creating an account or profile for a person under 16 is prohibited except in specified educational or scientific contexts with parental consent. Content providers must protect people under 18 from pornography, apply age verification, use default settings that limit contact with minors, filter harmful artificial-intelligence recommendations and report quarterly. Practical media-literacy, cyberbullying and online-safety support remains fragmented, with no verified nationwide youth-media institution. Journalism can take place in a public or private newsroom, an online outlet, freelance practice or audiovisual production. A journalist regularly collects, processes and distributes information through an outlet or independently; regular independent digital production and editing may also fall within professional communication numérique. Journalists have access and dissemination rights but must check accuracy, protect privacy and image rights, respect honour and intellectual property, protect children, secure data and identify sources and editorial responsibility appropriately. Access to official sources, personal safety, summonses, self-censorship and economic fragility remain practical risks. People participate by consuming, commenting, publishing, sharing, using authorised community radio, submitting complaints or exercising the right of reply. The HAC may be approached by an affected person or organisation and may also act on its own initiative. Legal rules seek pluralism and equal political access, but connectivity gaps, intimidation, concentrated ownership, platform enforcement and misinformation can limit participation. French is the official working language; local-language media may exist, but no reliable nationwide inventory or coverage assessment is established. There is no single public service called Media and no universal nationwide media coverage.