Health & Education
From The Report: Gabon 2014
View in Online Reader

Health

Covering the 2011-15 period, the National Health Strategy was launched in 2010 and aims to accelerate sector reforms by improving the overall governance of health care, reducing infant and maternal mortality, introducing free maternal health care and investing in infrastructure, especially hospitals.

The country has been rolling out its universal health care system, the National Insurance and Social Welfare Fund since 2008 as part of a broader effort to improve the standard of living. However, challenges such as a shortage of trained medical personnel remain, and the country still has much work to do to meet the goals set for its health care sector. Health spending as a proportion of GDP remains comparatively low and non-communicable illnesses linked to demographic shifts and lifestyle changes, including cancer, hypertension, obesity and diabetes are a growing concern.

Education

One of the three key pillars of the Emerging Gabon strategy is Services Gabon, which addresses the development of a skilled labour force and aims to establish the country as a regional centre for financial services, tertiary education, health and environmentally sustainable development.

Gabon increased its investment budget in 2013 as part of its plan to overhaul public infrastructure across the board. Proposed investment in education in the budget was up 53% year-on-year to €138m. Efforts to identify future economic needs and to bring tertiary education in line with the demands of the job market are vital for the economic growth of the country. Agreements with private companies looking to increase the number of qualified professionals are on the rise, with plans for several new industry-specific schools announced in recent years. The private sector and foreign cooperation will play a key role in improving the educational offering and thereby helping the nation to provide the skilled workers required by its growing economy.

This chapter contains an interview with Simon Ntoutoume Emane, Minister of Labour, Work and Vocational Training.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Universal health insurance is being rolled out
OBG
plus

As it is getting closer to realising its goal of universal health care, Gabon is focusing on decentralising national health services in an effort to make governance more effective at the local level. The country is now investing in infrastructure, although a number of challenges, such as a shortage of trained staff and the prevalence of both communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), persist. Covering the period 2011-15, the National Health Strategy (Plan National de Developpement Sanitaire,…

Overview

The emphasis is now on enhancing quality and increasing vocational training opportunities
OBG
plus

One of the three key pillars of the Emerging Gabon strategy is Services Gabon, which addresses the development of a skilled labour force and aims to establish the country as a regional centre for financial services, tertiary education, health and environmentally sustainable development. To this end, efforts are now under way to increase the number of schools and training institutions, train and recruit more teachers, and produce reliable statistics on student performance. Infrastructure Gabon increased…

Interview

OBG talks to Simon Ntoutoume Emane, Minister of Labour, Work and Vocational Training
OBG
plus

Interview:SimonNtoutoume Emane How is the Gabonese government dealing with the country’s high unemployment rate, especially the youth unemployment figures? SIMON NTOUTOUME EMANE: Nowadays the government’s major strategy for lowering the unemployment rate consists of educating the youth according to the market’s needs and, thus, ensure their inclusion in the workforce once they complete their training. The head of state has also encouraged the pursuit of reforms in the field of…