Riyadh Summit: A Platform for Industrial Diplomacy
The desert skyline of Riyadh has, for five days, become a crossroads of development diplomacy. From 23 to 27 November the Saudi capital hosts the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, a gathering that brings together ministers, multilateral lenders and private financiers under the banner “The Power of Investment and Partnerships to Accelerate the SDGs”. For the Republic of the Congo, the event offers far more than ceremonial participation; it constitutes a carefully choreographed opportunity to reaffirm Brazzaville’s determination to translate its industrial masterplan into concrete transactions.
Fylla Saint-Eudes’ Roadshow for Congolese Projects
Mandated by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Minister of Industrial Development and Private-Sector Promotion Antoine Thomas Nicéphore Fylla Saint-Eudes leads a delegation that includes technocrats, jurists and investment-promotion executives. Speaking during the high-level segment, the minister provided a panoramic overview of Congo’s industrial corridors—from timber transformation in Ouesso to petrochemical off-take in Pointe-Noire—while underscoring the country’s geographic advantage at the heart of Central Africa. “Our ambition,” he told delegates, “is to convert comparative advantages into competitive sectors able to generate skilled jobs and resilient export revenues.” That pitch, delivered to audiences ranging from Gulf sovereign funds to African regional banks, is being followed by a series of bilateral consultations designed to match specific projects with capital and technology partners (Congo Ministry of Industrial Development communiqué, 2024).
Legal Instruments to Deepen UNIDO–Congo Cooperation
Beyond the conference podiums, Fylla Saint-Eudes’ brief includes the finalisation of several legal texts that will anchor a renewed partnership with UNIDO. According to officials close to the talks, a revised Country Programme—covering the period 2024-2028—will align technical assistance with Brazzaville’s new Industrialisation Acceleration Strategy. Provisions under discussion concern diagnostic studies for special economic zones, policy advice on quality infrastructure and training modules for small and medium-sized enterprises. A separate memorandum of understanding is set to streamline project-preparation pipelines, allowing feasibility studies co-financed by UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Offices to proceed more swiftly. These instruments, negotiators note, seek to move the relationship “from episodic support to systematic engagement”.
Aligning Investment with the Sustainable Development Goals
Congo’s presentation in Riyadh is framed explicitly within the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. By highlighting projects that reduce raw-material exports and increase local value addition, Brazzaville aligns itself with Goal 9 on industry and innovation, while employment targets respond to Goal 8 and emerging environmental safeguards address Goal 13. The minister emphasised that industrial diversification is inseparable from climate resilience, pointing to forthcoming gas-to-fertiliser facilities designed to lower the carbon footprint of agricultural inputs. Delegates from the Green Climate Fund and the Islamic Development Bank acknowledged the coherence between Congo’s nationally determined contributions and the investment road-map presented at the conference (UNIDO concept note, 2023).
Regional and Domestic Implications for Brazzaville’s Agenda
Domestically, success in Riyadh may bolster the government’s medium-term objective of raising the industrial sector’s share of GDP from 9 % to 20 % by 2030, a figure embedded in both the National Development Plan and the recently promulgated Investment Charter. Regionally, strengthened UNIDO ties could enable Congo to serve as a demonstration hub for Central African economies seeking to migrate from extractive models toward higher-value production networks. The minister’s entourage is already planning follow-up sessions with the Economic Community of Central African States to ensure regulatory harmonisation across borders, particularly in standards certification and logistics facilitation.
While contractual signatures are expected only after due diligence phases, observers note that Congo’s assertive posture in Riyadh has sent a signal of policy continuity and institutional readiness. In a context where many emerging economies vie for the same capital pools, Brazzaville’s disciplined messaging—anchored in legal safeguards and SDG alignment—positions the country as a credible, forward-looking partner.