- Gabon’s Minister of Energy and Hydraulic Resources has just presented two bills to the Planning, Economic Affairs, Production and Development Commission concerning the regulation of the water and electricity sectors.
- The aim is to end the monopoly of the Société d’eau et d’électricité du Gabon (SEEG).
On April 5, 2023, the deputies of the Commission for Planning, Economic Affairs, Production and Development were shown the draft regulations governing the water and power sectors in Gabon. The law being considered for the “drinking water” sector focuses on the development and enhancement of the regulatory framework for the industry through the liberalization of all industry segments, from production to distribution and even marketing of drinking water.
As a result, additional participants in the industry will support the Société d’eau et d’électricité du Gabon (SEEG), which now holds a monopoly on the delivery of drinking water in the nation. This has been the situation for some time.
Veolia, a major French environmental corporation, held 51% of the shares of the publicly traded company for 20 years. However, the partnership abruptly ended on February 16, 2018, after being extended for another five years in March 2017. The Gabonese government listed “the deterioration in the quality of service provided to users” as one of their justifications. The retrocession of Veolia’s stakes in Seeg to the Gabonese government will serve as a marker for the resolution of the conflict.
The separation of the activities of the public drinking water and electricity services is established in the wording of the law on the regulation of the electrical sector. According to Minister Oswald Séverin Mayounou, the objective is “to ensure the economic and financial balance of this priority sector. If these projects are approved, they will improve drinking water and electricity services in the Central African country.