Gabon Loan Rates Hold at 21.51% in Q2
The Bank of Central African States says Gabon's average effective lending rate stayed high while Cameroon's fell sharply in the second quarter of 2026.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Credit Cards
The Bank of Central African States reported that the average effective rate on new bank loans in Gabon held at 21.51% in the second quarter of 2026. Cameroon's average effective rate fell to 8.22% over the same period, leaving Gabon's rate 2.6 times higher.
Why it matters
The gap shows how borrowing costs can diverge sharply across neighboring members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community despite a shared central bank. Because the effective rate includes fees and commissions, it signals what businesses and households actually pay to borrow, not just the headline interest rate.
Charges and commissions made up 41.24% of Gabon's average effective rate, and large companies paid 31.16% versus 15.71% for SMEs. The data covers only the second quarter of 2026, so later trends remain unknown.
The players
Bank of Central African States (BEAC)
The BEAC is the central bank serving the six member countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community and sets the regional monetary policy.
BGFIBank Gabon
BGFIBank Gabon is a subsidiary of the BGFIBank group and one of the largest lenders in Gabon, granting the majority of new loans in the country during the quarter.
The details
Fees and commissions account for roughly half of Gabon's premium over the regional average, according to the BEAC report. BGFIBank Gabon granted 70.21% of new loans in Gabon during the quarter, and claims on the Gabonese government reached XAF2,767.9 billion at the end of June, or 45.54% of bank portfolios.
Timeline
Q2 2025: Gabon's average effective rate was 20.07%.
Q1 2026: Cameroon's rate stood at 9.03% and the CEMAC average at 12.39%.
June 29, 2026: The BEAC cut its main policy rate by 25 basis points to 4.50%.
October 22, 2026: The BEAC published its quarterly lending rates report.
Market Dynamics
The divergence reported in the BEAC's quarterly series shows that a single regional central bank does not equalize commercial lending costs across member states. The Q2 2026 figures extend a pattern visible in the series, where Gabon's rate rose while the CEMAC average eased.
Borrowers in high-rate markets face effective loan costs that include substantial fees, which can change the real cost of a personal or business loan. Comparing the full effective rate, not only the headline interest rate, gives a clearer picture of what a loan will cost.
The takeaway
When comparing loan offers, look past the headline interest rate and ask for the total effective cost, since fees and commissions can account for a large share of what you pay.
Further reading
For context on how borrowing costs are set and charged, explore our Credit Cards coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Intellinews.
