Author: Congo Times

A Regional First in Currency Authentication In a move widely read as a technological turning point for Central African finance, the Bank of Central African States has unveiled BEAC NG2020, a free mobile application allowing immediate verification of the latest-generation CFA franc banknotes. The tool, compatible with Android and iOS platforms, invites users to scan or manually compare a note’s tactile imprints, colour-shifting inks and micro-lettering against the official security matrix introduced with the 2020 series. It is the first time in the almost half-century history of the regional bank that digital means are placed directly in the hands of…

A Gathering of Minds in the Congo River Capital From 22 to 24 July 2025 the Marien Ngouabi University amphitheatre reverberated with the multilingual hum of scholars, policymakers and practitioners who converged for the maiden congress of the Congolese Society of Psychology. Presided over by Minister for Higher Education Professor Delphine Edith Emmanuel Adouki and attended by senior cabinet colleagues, the opening signalled governmental confidence in the cognitive sciences as a lever of national development. Delegations from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and France added an unmistakable regional and trans-continental flair, confirming Brazzaville’s ambition to serve…

Pointe-Noire’s Stage Becomes a Diplomatic Asset When the amber twilight falls over the esplanade Yaro in Tié-Tié, Pointe-Noire’s 4th arrondissement, the city’s dockside bustle gives way to the cadence of drums and the lilting cadence of ancestral tales. It is in this liminal hour, on 2 August, that Compagnie Nzonzi will premiere “Le soir au Bongui”, a performance that fuses narration and polyrhythmic percussion. Officially, the evening is devoted to the “valorisation des arts de la parole”; yet for seasoned observers of Central African politics, it also illustrates how the Republic of Congo quietly leverages culture as an instrument of…

Regional Dialogue in Abidjan On 31 July, the calm gardens of President Alassane Ouattara’s private residence in Abidjan hosted a conversation that—despite its restrained protocol—echoed far beyond Côte d’Ivoire’s lagoon shores. Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, carrying a personal message from President Denis Sassou Nguesso, opened the exchange with warm words on the historic fraternity linking the two republics; in return, the Ivorian head of state emphasised continuity in a relationship that is as political as it is cultural, dating back to Félix Houphouët-Boigny’s early overtures to Brazzaville in the 1960s (Ivorian Presidency communiqué). Abidjan–Brazzaville Axis of Pragmatic Cooperation Bilateral…

Historic Throne Day Address and Its Stakes Every 29 July, the Throne Day address operates as a compass for Morocco’s political class and partner capitals alike. The twenty-sixth speech of King Mohammed VI, delivered from the Royal Palace in Tetouan, reaffirmed a doctrine of gradual modernisation tempered by social cohesion (Royal Court broadcast, 29 July 2024). By foregrounding the correction of territorial disparities the monarch arguably recast the social contract, insisting that macroeconomic vibrancy must “touch every province and every citizen.” Seasoned diplomats in Rabat note that Throne speeches rarely introduce abrupt turns; rather, they consolidate incremental reforms and alert…

European Qualifiers Showcase Congolese Talent The second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League and its sister Conference League offered a vivid canvas for Congolese footballers determined to inscribe their names on the continental stage. In Cyprus, AEK Larnaca’s 2–1 dismissal of Slovenia’s Celje was sealed with the late inclusion of left-back Jérémie Gnali, freshly returned from suspension, whose controlled presence helped the hosts protect their lead (UEFA match report). Meanwhile, in Georgia, Romaric Etou and Déo Gracias Bassinga featured prominently for Dila Gori in a riveting 3–3 draw against Riga; Bassinga’s instinctive finish from close range highlighted the clutch…

African Coalition Rallies in Yamoussoukro The echo of traditional drums in Yamoussoukro on 29 July signalled more than cultural celebration; it marked the formal launch of an international citizens’ mobilisation steered by the Confederation of African UNESCO Clubs and Associations (CACU) in support of Firmin Édouard Matoko, the Republic of Congo’s candidate for the organisation’s top job. Beneath the ceremony’s pageantry lay a calculated diplomatic move aimed at consolidating Africa’s forty-eight votes inside the UNESCO Executive Board before the October ballot (Agence ivoirienne de presse, 29 July 2025). CACU president Allogmom Gabin framed the initiative as a continental responsibility rather…

Origin of JIFA and the Pan-African Feminist Milieu On 31 July 1974, in the brisk air of Dakar, the third congress of the Conference of African Women chose to rename itself the Pan-African Women’s Organisation, thereby institutionalising what is now observed across capitals as International African Women’s Day. The date, deliberately anchored in the period of intense anti-colonial ferment, reminds diplomats that gender emancipation and national liberation were never separate projects. Minutes of the inaugural 1962 meeting in Dar-Es-Salaam attest to the presence of sixteen delegations that included the Front de Libération du Mozambique and the South-West Africa People’s Organisation,…

A strategic investment in human capital When the National Fund for Employability and Apprenticeship unveiled its gleaming training vehicle in Brazzaville, the gesture went far beyond the novelty of technology on wheels. In a nation where more than sixty per cent of the population is under thirty and where, according to the World Bank (2023), youth unemployment remains near twenty per cent, the capacity to diffuse market-relevant skills is tantamount to safeguarding social cohesion. By financing the prototype, the government underscores a conviction that sustainable growth rests on the calibre, not merely the number, of its young citizens. Over the…

A Record of Reliability in Continental Competition In the often-volatile landscape of African football, the Republic of Congo has nurtured a rare virtue: regularity. Since the 2018 edition of the African Nations Championship, the Diables Rouges A’ have checked into every continental camp, marking four consecutive appearances and five in total. Only a handful of federations can claim comparable persistence, a point quietly acknowledged by observers at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) who see Congo as a “pillar of continuity” in a tournament designed exclusively for domestically based players. The challenge now is to translate presence into podium, for…