Gabon's RNDH 2026 report identifies key reasons for youth unemployment
via Gabon Review2 min read
Gabon's National Report on Human Development RNDH 2026 attributes high youth unemployment to three interconnected issues: an education system disconnected from the job market, an economy too narrow to absorb its young workforce, and ineffective institutional support. The report highlights a chronic mismatch between training and employment, with the educational system producing general studies graduates while the productive sector demands skilled tradespeople like welders and maintenance technicians. This leads to graduates accepting lower-skilled jobs, causing professional downgrading and socio-economic frustration. Structurally, the economy's reliance on raw materials makes it vulnerable to global price fluctuations, leading to budget crises, austerity, and private sector contraction, which exacerbates unemployment. Rural exodus further intensifies the crisis by saturating urban job markets, where the informal sector provides precarious employment. Additionally, the concentration of economic activity in the Estuaire province leaves youth in other regions with limited options. Institutional shortcomings include administrative burdens that deter private investment, weak enforcement of labor laws, and an outdated employment information system. The report notes that employment policies have long been implemented without reliable data or job mapping, and follow-up on support programs is insufficient, perpetuating cyclical precarity. Despite these challenges, the RNDH 2026 report
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