DIG / On the night of 28 June 2026, a security sweep in Owendo primarily targeted nighttime economy venues — bars, informal eateries and small shops. In this working-class suburb of greater Libreville, these establishments provide a vital income source for hundreds of vulnerable households.
Behind the stated security goals lies a quiet economic toll: temporary closures, lost revenue and the arrest of informal workers.
When will the night sector get regulated oversight?
With youth unemployment still high and the informal sector absorbing a large share of the active population, a purely repressive approach risks pushing already fragile actors deeper into poverty — most have no safety net.
Secure without impoverishing: the challenge Gabon’s authorities can no longer avoid
The real question is not security versus the economy, but how to integrate both.
That means establishing regulated oversight for the night sector, opening dialogue with those affected and creating support mechanisms — fiscal, administrative and social — to lift these activities out of the grey zone where they survive for lack of alternatives.
