Author: Congo Times

A solemn tribute in the heart of Congo The garden of the Algerian Embassy in Brazzaville was unusually hushed on 27 November as diplomats, historians and members of the diaspora gathered beneath the tricolour crescent flag. Their purpose was to commemorate the seventy-first anniversary of the 1 November 1954 declaration that ignited the Algerian War of Liberation. A minute of silence, broken only by the faint rustle of palm fronds along the Congo River, paid homage to what Ambassador Azeddine Riache called “millions of martyrs, orphans and uprooted citizens whose sacrifice resurrected our nation”. The choice of Brazzaville, a city…

Ceremony in Brazzaville crowns four-year odyssey The small amphitheatre of the National Institute for Research and Pedagogical Action was unusually hushed on 27 November, as officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, diplomats, and relatives waited for a moment four years in the making. Under the gaze of the first counsellor at the German embassy, Vera Clemens, and the head of programmes at Goethe-Institut Kamerun, Ilka Seltmann, three Congolese scholarship holders—Ropha Prince Harmelin Baleketa, Jordy Gurvitch Bola and Monik François Tsounga Mayela—received the certificates that attest to a C1 level of German and full pedagogical accreditation. Rigorous pathway…

Growth forecast signals a cautious but firm revival In his annual address on the state of the nation delivered before the two chambers of Parliament gathered in congress on 28 November, President Denis Sassou Nguesso spoke with measured confidence about the trajectory of the Congolese economy. After several challenging years marked by external shocks and pandemic-related disruptions, real GDP growth is now expected to reach 3.6 % in 2026, a rate that the Head of State described as “resilient for an economy that is restructuring at a slow yet reassuring pace”. The nuance is significant: while hydrocarbon revenues remain essential…

A Brazzaville Evening Dedicated to Thought The auditorium of the Centre for Christian Studies and Research reverberated on 26 November with what moderator Professor Maxime Akanis called a “celebration of thought”. Clergy, lecturers, students and lay admirers filled the hall to witness the presentation and signing of Bishop-Doctor Daniel Mizonzo’s latest work, “L’entente de la mort en phénoménologie philosophique”, published by AB Alke Bulan. The choice of venue was more than ceremonial. As Father Médard Sané reminded the audience in his welcome address, the author forged his earliest philosophical intuitions within these walls; coming back, Sané observed, was “a return…

A riverside hub poised for transformation At the north-eastern tip of Brazzaville, the modest fluvial landing of Yoro is set to become a logistical fulcrum on the Congo River. The government has confirmed that the site, long used for the transhipment of firewood and food staples into the capital, will be redeveloped with longer quays, covered warehouses and an electronic cargo-tracking terminal. The initiative forms part of the Regional Project for the Improvement of Road and River Corridors in Central Africa, known by its French acronym PRACAC, financed through a blend of national resources and multilateral support (Ministry of Planning,…

Seeds of Peace Sown in Yalavounga On 26 November, the quiet hillside of Yalavounga, ten kilometres from Kinkala, ceased to be merely a geographical coordinate and became the emblem of a new social contract. Forty cooperatives of former combatants and neighbouring residents received the keys to a ten-hectare market-garden laid out under the Tatoungueno project, the agricultural spearhead of the national Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (PDDR). The ceremony, officiated by Noël Léonard Essongo on behalf of Minister of State Florent Ntsiba, gathered an array of institutional and development partners whose mere juxtaposition spoke volumes about the priority attached to…

Presidential resolve on public safety Addressing both Houses of Parliament on 28 November in Brazzaville, President Denis Sassou Nguesso delivered a forceful reminder of the constitutional duty that binds him to protect every citizen. Describing the criminal networks known locally as “koulounas” as “groups without faith or law”, he declared that their systematic pursuit would continue “in every corner until the last bandit is apprehended”. The Head of State stressed that his determination should be understood as non-negotiable, underscoring that security lies at the heart of the social contract between the Republic and its people. Peace of mind as a…

Continental echoes of Congolese talent Every weekend European stadiums offer a revealing barometer of Congolese football’s state of health. The latest round of fixtures, stretching from Italy’s Lombardy to the banks of the Volga, presents a nuanced tableau: collective disappointment in Bergamo, razor-edge leadership battles in Georgia and nerve-racking cup survival in Russia. Each storyline involves a player eligible for the Diables rouges, and together they sketch the outlines of a national pool that continues to mature far from the Congolese grass pitches. Coppa Serie C exit tests the mettle of Digne Pounga At the Stadio Città di Vercelli, Atalanta…

A Collaborative Vision Forged in the Classroom The quiet conference room of the Technical Education Ministry in Brazzaville briefly took on the air of a strategic command centre on 26 November. Delegates returning from the 2024-2025 training seminars held in the People’s Republic of China resolved to set up a permanent network connecting Congolese and Chinese experts. The stated purpose is unambiguous: to design joint initiatives in technical training, pedagogical equipment and applied research that can accompany Congo’s modernisation agenda while sustaining Beijing’s outreach policy. Gaspard Openda, representing the Ministry of Technical and Professional Education, insisted that the seminars were…

Expanded squad lists reshape tactical planning In a virtual briefing that gathered officials from the twenty-four qualified national associations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Local Organising Committee confirmed that each delegation to the TotalE&P-sponsored Africa Cup of Nations 2025 will be permitted to register twenty-eight footballers. The names must be drawn from a pre-approved list of fifty-five submitted well in advance of the tournament window that stretches from 21 December to 18 January on Moroccan soil. According to CAF, the enlarged quota is designed to grant head coaches “more flexibility in squad management”, a consideration that has…