Gabon's new President Ali Ben Bongo has ordered a census of the central African country's bloated civil service in a bid to cut State spending and take charge of the body, the Prime Minister said today.

The move is one of the first policy decisions by Ben Bongo since he took over from his late father Omar in a disputed election this August, campaigning on promises to cut red tape and encourage entrepreneurship. Under Omar Bongo's rule of over 40 years, the oil nation of 1.5 million people saw its government headcount swell to 55 000.

Their salaries cost $764.5 million a year, and the service as a whole consumed around a quarter of the national budget. It was known for a system of cronyism and fraud in which salaries were paid to non-existent workers and staff were employed despite having no qualifications for their positions.

Gabon in March cut its overall budget by 13% to just over $3 billion, citing lower revenues from oil and other exports, though it remains one of the richest countries in Africa as measured by per capita gross domestic product. The country, one of the few in the region to have issued a Eurobond, is looking for ways to diversify its economy away from reliance on its dwindling oil stocks. 

Bongo's election victory triggered several days of riots and protests, and opposition parties denounced the poll as illegitimate. However the country's highest court dismissed their challenge in September. Last week Ben Bongo was received by French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace. - Reuters