“The SEEG must undergo reform if we are to achieve a lasting solution to this issue,” the President declared during his annual State of the Nation address, delivered before a joint session of deputies and senators.
This pronouncement signals an acknowledgment of the current system’s inadequacies, as Gabon has endured persistent water and electricity disruptions for many years.
The President’s proposed initiative rests on two primary objectives: first, to separate the management of water services from that of electricity; and second, to unbundle the activities of production, distribution, and commercialization within each sector. This new organizational structure, according to the head of state, promises to foster more efficient and accountable management.
“Currently, a water leak can sometimes take up to three months to be repaired. If the sector’s revenues were directly tied to the quality of water service, interventions would be significantly swifter,” he elaborated, dismissing the notion that the water sector cannot sustain itself without electricity revenues.
The operational failures are attributed to “poor governance” within the state-owned company. The President continued, “This moment of truth compels me to be frank with you. Beyond the existing problems, the continuous load shedding is also due to SEEG’s failure to pay its operators.”
However, responsibility is also shared with consumers. The head of state condemned “user misconduct,” detailing harmful practices such as non-payment of bills, burying meters, fraud, cable theft, transformer sabotage, and illegal direct connections.
The technical assessment paints a grim picture. Steve Saurel Legnongo, the provisional administrator of SEEG, estimated in early 2025 that “no structural investments have been made in the last twenty years,” even as energy consumption demands nearly doubled between 2010 and 2024.
These failures have dire consequences for the populace. The capital, Libreville, experiences regular power outages under a rotating load-shedding scheme, while water cuts in some areas can persist for several months.
When questioned, SEEG subscribers expressed diverse viewpoints. Mariam Yama, a subscriber, welcomed the proposed separation of the two sectors: “If water and electricity are separated, it implies there will be two distinct entities focused on service efficiency. I believe this will help.”
Nicole Esso adopted a more cautious stance: “This isn’t a new issue. Water and power cuts are widespread in Gabon because equipment upgrades haven’t kept pace. I think we are being impatient and pessimistic for no reason. The head of state is working, we should let him proceed.”
Patrick Ruffin, a retired military officer, highlighted financial mismanagement: “The management of SEEG needs a complete overhaul.”
Cédric Pango, a business executive, raised a significant concern: “Within SEEG, it’s known that the electricity business is more profitable than water. The water sector has been neglected without investment. In that sense, I understand the President’s approach. However, if we separate the two activities and the water sector remains unprofitable, we risk facing even greater difficulties than before.”
In recent years, authorities have already implemented measures aimed at “alleviating the distress of the Gabonese people regarding this energy challenge.”
In February 2025, the state signed an agreement with the Turkish company Karpowership for the supply of 150 megawatts through two floating power plants designed to serve Greater Libreville. In the same month, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea successfully interconnected their electricity grids.
For Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who came to power via a coup in August 2023 before being elected with 94.85% of votes in April 2025, rectifying the electrical grid is a critical test of his credibility.
The announced reform must now translate into concrete actions, as residents of Libreville and the rest of the country eagerly await tangible results.
Between technical hurdles, financial implications, and the fight against fraud, the undertaking is monumental. But for the population, the question remains simple: will the coming weeks finally mark an end to the repeated outages, or will this merely be another chapter in a chronic public service crisis?
