Gabonese public shows contrasting views on immigration, welcoming individuals but wary of open borders

While Gabonese citizens demonstrate high levels of acceptance towards individual foreigners, they express considerable reservations about policies promoting regional free movement. The survey, conducted by national partner CERGEP in April and May 2024 among 1,200 Gabonese adults, has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The findings indicate that 77% of respondents are comfortable with economic immigrants as neighbors, and 75% feel the same about refugees, despite these groups often being associated with social or security concerns in public discourse.

Economically, 23% believe foreign workers positively impact the economy, and 17% are as accepting or more accepting of their presence. These figures, combined with the general high acceptance, suggest a favorable public view of foreigners residing in Gabon. However, this openness contrasts sharply with attitudes towards regional border policies.

Only 40% support the free movement of Central Africans, even though the Central African Republic is a neighboring country and a partner within the Economic Community of Central African States ECCAS. Furthermore, only 19% of Gabonese find it easy to cross the country's borders, raising questions about the implementation of the ECCAS free movement protocol. This disparity is not seen as a contradiction but rather as a distinction made by Gabone