In Gabon, many companies are keen to support football as part of their corporate social responsibility policies but have often refrained from doing so due to a lack of legal safeguards.
This obstacle is now being removed. On October 22, 2026, in Libreville, twenty-seven entities within the national football system, including sixteen clubs and the nine provincial leagues, received their technical approvals and final registration certificates.
“By providing clubs with valid administrative documentation, we are removing a major obstacle to accessing private funding,” explained the Minister of Youth and Sports, Paul Ulrich Kessany Zategwa.
Clubs can now submit robust applications, reassure their partners and gain access to support schemes offered by companies.
For the Gabonese government, football development can no longer rely solely on public resources.
It must be built on sustainable partnerships with the private sector within a secure and transparent framework.
This ambition lies at the heart of the Taskforce for the Renewal of Gabonese Football, whose proceedings run until October 26.
Two of its seven workshops are directly dedicated to the football economy: one focuses on financing and business models, while the other addresses communication and marketing, with the aim of making national competitions more visible and attractive to advertisers and broadcasters.
With nearly three hundred applications from sports associations still undergoing regularization, Gabon is preparing to significantly expand the number of entities eligible for secure partnerships.
The country aims to establish its football sector as a credible investment opportunity in Central Africa.
