Gabon is set to bring together key African stakeholders across its football community for a five-day consultation aimed at restructuring domestic football, strengthening club administration and building a more competitive national league.

The initiative, known as Task Foot, will officially open on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the Stade de l’Amitié sino-gabonaise in Angondjé, with Minister Paul Ulrich Kessany Zategwa expected to preside over the opening ceremony.

The reform drive seeks to establish a domestic league that reflects Gabon’s football heritage, following the country’s experience hosting two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and producing African football’s most prestigious individual award winner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the 2015 African Player of the Year award.

Despite its football tradition, Gabon is seeking a more effective organisational structure to support its clubs, develop young players, strengthen women’s football and improve the overall quality of domestic competitions.

The Task Force for the Renewal of Gabonese Football is expected to address these challenges in line with directives from the country’s leadership, with the ambition of improving the sport from provincial football grounds to the professional league.

A major highlight of the opening ceremony will be the presentation of technical approvals and final registration certificates to clubs participating in the professional leagues. The exercise is intended to support more consistent administration and a better-organised domestic football system.

The consultations will bring together government representatives, the Director General of Sports, the Gabonese Football Federation (FEGAFOOT), the National Professional Football League (LINAFP) and the National Women’s Football League.

Other participants will include the National Olympic Committee, the National Anti-Doping Organisation (ONAD), club presidents, coaches, referees, players, sports journalists and national and international experts.

Discussions will be organised into seven thematic workshops covering governance and institutional organisation; training and human development; national competitions; communication and marketing; financing and competition models; refereeing and competition integrity; and sports infrastructure.

Through the consultations, organisers hope to develop practical recommendations for improving football administration, creating more reliable competition calendars and helping clubs operate on a more sustainable basis.

The proposed reforms also place emphasis on strengthening women’s football and youth development, while improving the visibility and commercial appeal of domestic competitions to attract sponsors and other partners.

The initiative comes as football stakeholders across Africa continue to explore ways of improving league management, developing local talent and building sustainable commercial structures around domestic competitions.

For Gabon, the ultimate objective is to translate its football heritage and talent pool into a stronger domestic game capable of serving players, clubs, supporters and the wider sporting community.

The organisers hope the outcome of Task Foot will provide a framework for long-term reform and establish Gabon as a reference point for football development across Central Africa.