Eugène Mba confronts persistent racketeering at Mont-Bouët market in Libreville

Libreville’s largest informal market, Mont-Bouët, is at the heart of a long-running racketeering scandal that affects hundreds of traders. The systematic extortion has resurfaced as a major challenge for Mayor Eugène Mba, who now faces mounting pressure to address the crisis.

Behind the usual bustle of stalls and vendor calls, a darker reality lurks. Traders, gathered by the Syndicat des débrouillards du Gabon (SDG) and the NGO Solidarité pour le développement du Gabon (ONG-SDG), have broken their silence. They denounce what they call ‘organized racketeering’ by some municipal agents and law enforcement officers.

Testimonies collected during the investigation reveal that the amounts demanded far exceed official taxes. ‘Municipal agents take 2,000 FCFA per stall instead of the regulated 500 FCFA,’ a vendor complains. Worse, receipts are almost never issued, masking widespread fraud that chokes small budgets.

A persistent scourge hard to eradicate

This phenomenon is not new. It has persisted through successive municipal administrations, protected by entrenched influence networks and a glaring lack of traceability in cash payments. For many, racketeering has become chronic, eating into profits already squeezed by declining purchasing power. With insufficient control mechanisms at city hall, the task ahead for Eugène Mba’s new team appears monumental.

Digitalisation as a way out?

Faced with what some call a ‘mission impossible’, solutions are emerging to clean up market management. Many economic observers believe the answer lies in transparency and digital payments. Eliminating cash handling by middlemen and directing digital transactions straight to municipal coffers could undercut corrupt agents. For Eugène Mba, the stakes go beyond urban management: it is about restoring trust between the city administration and the local economic operators who are the backbone of the capital’s subsistence economy.