Inspection reveals discreet yet tangible progress
Standing before the concrete shell that already dominates the flat banks of the Oubangui River, Likouala prefect Jean Pascal Koumba chose measured words. During his site inspection on 12 November 2025 he admitted that the pace “is not yet giant steps”, yet he insisted that “changes are visible” and that confidence in the national authorities remains intact. The observation echoes the most recent progress report issued by the Ministry of Health and Population (October 2025), which notes an overall completion rate of 46 %, compared with 37 % in June. While the steel framework of the emergency wing is now fully erected, interior partitioning has begun on the maternity block, signalling that the project has entered a more technical phase.
Strategic lifeline for an underserved department
With an estimated 450 000 inhabitants dispersed across dense equatorial forest, Likouala often faces long evacuation journeys to Brazzaville or neighbouring Bangui for specialised care. The future General Hospital of Impfondo, designed for 150 beds and equipped with a high-dependency unit, is therefore more than a construction site: it is a strategic pillar of territorial equity. According to World Health Organization data (2024), the department currently counts fewer than 0.6 physicians per 10 000 inhabitants, half the national average. Once operational, the facility is expected to double local surgical capacity and reduce maternal mortality, a government priority reaffirmed during the 2023–2027 National Health Development Plan.
Financing architecture blends public funds and partnerships
The CFA 18 billion envelope mobilised for the hospital combines a sovereign contribution from the Republic of Congo, a concessional credit line negotiated with the Central African States Development Bank, and an in-kind component provided by a consortium of bilateral partners. Civil-engineering works are being executed by the Congolese subsidiary of China Jiangsu International, a company already credited with the renovation of Pointe-Noire General Hospital. Officials close to the dossier confirm that 62 % of the budget has been disbursed to date, allowing the contractor to secure imported medical-grade steel and radiology equipment whose delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026 (Ministry of Finance press release, 3 September 2025).
Logistics and climate, the silent antagonists
Even with financing secured, moving machinery and materials from the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire to remote Impfondo remains a logistical feat. The 1 200-kilometre multimodal corridor involves rail to Owando, then river barges up the Oubangui. Seasonal flooding regularly alters navigability windows, forcing the site manager to revise work schedules. In interviews, engineers point to a three-week delay caused by exceptional September swells, yet they underline that buffer stocks of cement and rebar have since been rebuilt. The rainy-season challenges explain the apparently uneven rhythm observed by visitors and partly account for the “lenteur” noted by the prefect.
Community engagement fuels cautious optimism
Impfondo’s municipal council has created a citizens’ committee that meets monthly with the project office to relay local concerns. Testimonies collected on the sidelines of the inspection visit suggest a mixture of impatience and pride. “We can already imagine not having to cross the river in labour,” says Rosalie Mokongo, a midwife at the district health centre. The presence of apprentices from the local technical lycée on the construction site, an initiative encouraged by the Ministry of Technical Education, also gives the project a capacity-building dimension that officials are keen to highlight.
Next milestones on the road to commissioning
According to the revised timetable endorsed by the inter-ministerial steering committee, structural works should reach 90 % completion by July 2026, enabling installation of medical gases and imaging suites during the dry season. Staff recruitment and biomedical training programmes, financed under an EU-backed facility, will run in parallel. Jean Pascal Koumba insists that “every partner is mobilised to meet these targets” and rejects any suggestion of abandonment. His assurance, echoed by the Minister of Health in a recent address to the National Assembly, suggests that while the race against time continues, the political will to deliver a modern hospital to Likouala is undimmed.