Gabon says it has lifted eight-month social media ban

Gabon’s media regulator announced on 24 October that it had lifted the social media ban it imposed back in February, ending restrictions that many users had bypassed with VPNs, according to the BBC.

The High Communication Authority (HAC) made the announcement in a televised statement, the BBC reported. When it introduced the ban on 17 February, the regulator said content online was stoking conflict and dividing the country.

More than a political story

In a country of about 2.5 million people, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are hugely popular with young people, and many use them to run small businesses, not just to scroll. For them the ban was a problem of income as much as free speech.

Many users turned to VPNs to access the platforms, the BBC reported. The opposition called the ban an abuse of power.

A tense year for Oligui Nguema

The restrictions came during a period of unrest under President Brice Oligui Nguema, less than a year after he won the 2025 election with more than 90% of the vote. Teachers and civil servants had gone on strike over low pay and poor conditions.

Oligui Nguema came to power in a 2023 coup that ended more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family, promising to reform the oil- and timber-rich country. Previous governments also cut digital access when it suited them, the BBC noted.

Related reporting: Africa’s internet-use gap: what ITU’s 2025 figures tell us.

Read the background: Africa’s internet-use gap.