Located on the western shores of Central Africa — bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo — is the Gabonese Republic. France colonized the country late in the 19th century, and it was decolonized after World War II, with independence taking place in 1960. Its population of just under 2.5 million is 91% urban, distributed in “pockets” throughout the country.

With vast petroleum reserves, Gabon is a natural-resource-rich, upper-middle-income country and is considered one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most prosperous and stable countries. At the same time, while the forecasted 2025 extreme poverty rate is just 3.1%, the upper-middle-income poverty rate is forecast to be over 37.8%. Unemployment is 20%. 

Education in Gabon

Based on the French model, education in Gabon is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 16, beginning with six years of primary education, followed by seven years of secondary school (state program). Options include the predominant general and technical schools, supplemented by private and international schools. Tertiary education includes two state universities: the University of Sciences and Technologies of Masuku, and the Omar Bongo University programs in administration, engineering, forestry, hydraulics, law, literature, management, science and teacher training. 

Primary education expenditure per child of primary education age was 94.9% above the sub-Saharan regional average, but 48.9% below the upper-middle-income country average. 

Learning Poverty

The Learning Poverty rate, a metric initiated in 2019 by the World Bank and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, measures the proportion of children who are unable to read a simple text with comprehension by age 10, and considers both schooling and learning. Schooling Deprivation, Learning Deprivation and Learning Poverty are all related and are an early indication of risks to the overall quality of education.

In 2021, the World Bank reported that 30% of Gabonese children at late primary age were not proficient in reading, 24% of students did not achieve the minimum proficiency level in reading at the end of primary school and 9% of primary school-aged children were not enrolled in school. This puts Gabon in a better position than the average for the sub-Saharan Africa region (55.7 percentage points lower) and slightly lower than the average for upper-middle-income countries. Learning poverty was higher for girls than for boys, but the indicators and component proportions for boys and girls were within a few points of each other. 

Demographic Disparities

As might be expected, there are various demographic differences in education regarding access and completion, including discrepancies related to wealth and location (urban/rural) in Gabon. The largest differences between the poorest and the richest students are in completion rates: primary (44% and 95%, respectively), lower secondary (17% and 75%), upper secondary (4% and 49%) and tertiary (more than 40%). This disparity pattern in completion rates is similar between rural and urban locations.

There are also some gender differences, but these are not as dramatic. Boys and girls are relatively close on the individual metrics, and both are low for lower secondary completion (below 50%) and upper secondary completion (below 25%). Literacy is high for both 15-14-year-old boys and girls at 95% and 97%, respectively. Learning achievements are within 5-10% of each other, but low for math at the end of primary school. 

SDG 4

In the 2025 United Nations Sustainable Development Report, Gabon is ranked 103:167 overall on the 17 SDGs. SDG 4, Quality Education, is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” The assessment of Gabon on SDG 4 is that “major challenges remain.” Noted are major challenges remaining in the net primary enrollment rate and the lower secondary completion rate, and the literacy rate. (The World Bank reported adult literacy in 2021 to be 86%.)

Addressing High School Dropout: ADAP

Primary school enrollment in Gabon is high—90%–but there is a serious drop in transitioning to secondary school. Only 48% of boys and 57% of girls enroll in secondary school, reportedly because of “social factors.” UNICEF, through its Adolescent Development and Participation program (ADAP), is working with Gabonese education professionals to encourage young people to stay in school and understand how they can contribute to their communities. In addition to working with those in daily contact with adolescents, UNICEF Gabon contributes to various community and school awareness-building activities and extracurricular talks.

U-Report

An innovative approach for communication and advocacy is UNICEF’s use of U-Report, UNICEF’s free and anonymous mobile digital platform where young people can post opinions and information, engaging in advocacy within their communities and beyond. Launched in Uganda in 2011, as of mid-202, there were over 37 million registered U-Reporters in 102 countries, including 4,231 U-Reporters in Gabon. In July 2025, Gabon’s fifth U-Report regional branch opened in Franceville, with the network hailed as a means of allowing “young people to express themselves, learn and influence public policy on issues that concern them.” 

Advocacy Enhancing Education

As a correlate to UNICEF’s ADAP effort, U-Report can serve not only to support students’ healthy communication and advocacy activities, but also to strengthen and support their involvement in local communities, including activities that improve their schools. In Libreville, for example, group field action was conducted to remove unhealthy conditions on school grounds in Sibang by collecting waste, recycling plastic, and weeding around a classroom building to provide a cleaner environment to support students’ well-being and academic success. The Oyem group conducted a two-day campaign in schools to raise awareness of crucial issues—violence in schools, cyberbullying, sexual violence in schools and children’s rights. This involved middle and high school students in interactive workshops and discussion sessions. 

Final Thoughts

Together, UNICEF’s ADAP initiative and the U-Report platform are helping transform young Gabonese into active advocates for their education and communities. By amplifying their voices and encouraging civic engagement, these programs not only motivate students to stay in school but also foster a generation prepared to address the persistent challenges of inequality and access to education in Gabon.

– Staff Reports

Photo: Flickr