Author: Congo Times

A strategic call for voter-roll vigilance In late August, Brazzaville’s Palais des Congrès served as the backdrop for a carefully choreographed gathering that organisers termed the inaugural Patriarche Delegates Conference. Convened by Digne Elvis Okombi Tsalissan, coordinator of both the Patriarche initiative and the NGO Generation Auto-Entrepreneur, the meeting placed a spotlight on an issue that consistently shapes the quality of democratic practice: the periodic revision of electoral lists. Okombi Tsalissan framed the exercise in explicitly civic terms, arguing that robust registers constitute “the entry visa to legitimate governance” in the Republic of the Congo. Citizen engagement as a safeguard…

A Symbolic Breakthrough for Congolese Soft Power When Ketsia Chelsea Yoka stepped onto a London runway on 9 August, she did more than debut a collection: she carried the colours of the Republic of Congo into one of the world’s most discerning fashion capitals. Her presence represents a milestone in cultural diplomacy, signalling the ability of Congolese creative industries to compete internationally while subtly projecting the nation’s image of dynamism and modernity. In a global environment where soft power often travels faster than official communiqués, the success of a single model becomes a persuasive narrative of national confidence and talent.…

Algiers Positions Itself at the Heart of AfCFTA From 4 to 10 September 2025, the Palais des Expositions in Algiers will become a continental crossroads as it hosts the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF). With 35 000 delegates expected from 140 countries and 1 600 corporate exhibitors, the fair stands as the most ambitious commercial gathering yet organised under the banner of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Algerian diplomats have characterised the effort as “a work of projection and observation,” signalling that the objectives transcend a conventional marketplace. Their assessment frames Algiers as a laboratory…

A Diplomatic Forum for Creative Equity Within the glass-paneled headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme in Brazzaville, the Mwassi Festival dedicated an afternoon to a subject that resonates far beyond the projection room: the gendered architecture of African film industries. Delegates from the Republic of Congo, neighbouring Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo joined United Nations officials and artists from diverse disciplines on 27 August for a panel entitled “Gender Dynamics and Cinematic Creation in African Contexts”. Opening the discussion, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Henry-René Diouf framed the event in developmental terms, insisting that the pursuit of gender…

Strategic Significance of the Talangaï Upgrade In the dense urban fabric of Brazzaville’s sixth arrondissement, Talangaï, a refurbished sports platform now gleams within the walls of Antonio-Agostinho Neto High School. On 26 August the Ministry in charge of Sports formally transferred the facility to its counterpart responsible for basic and secondary education, signalling a carefully choreographed inter-ministerial partnership. Two fully renovated courts—one for basketball, one for volleyball—compose the nucleus of this investment, financed through the National Fund for the Promotion and Development of Physical and Sporting Activities. Aligning Education and Public Health Objectives Officials emphasise that the project is embedded…

Momentum for Systemic Transparency in Brazzaville In a carefully orchestrated session held on 27 and 28 August in Brazzaville, the steering committee of the Programme to Accelerate Institutional Governance and Reforms for Sustainable Service Delivery, known by its French acronym Pagir, convened a cadre of public-procurement specialists to validate a new evaluative matrix. The workshop, organised in partnership with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and supported by the World Bank, gathered senior officials from sectoral ministries, private-sector representatives, civil-society observers and technical as well as financial partners. Their shared ambition was unambiguous: to refine Congo-Brazzaville’s public-procurement architecture so that it…

Youth Diplomacy Meets National Strategy The recent presentation of the International Forum of African Youth for Development (FIJADA) initiative by its Congo country representative, Daniel Biangoud, and mentor José Cyr Ebina, has resonated powerfully within Brazzaville’s policymaking circles. Their consultations with Prince Michrist Kaba Mboko, Executive Secretary of the Consultative Council for Youth, and with Leon Juste Ibombo, Minister in charge of the Digital Economy, revealed a convergence of priorities: an assertive desire to translate youthful creativity into measurable economic dividends. By choosing to brief senior officials immediately after the Kinshasa summit, the FIJADA delegation signalled both diplomatic tact and…

High-Stakes Diplomacy at UNESCO Headquarters The abrupt withdrawal of the Mexican nominee, Gabriela Ilian Ramos Patino, has recast the campaign for the UNESCO Director-Generalship into a two-handed contest that diplomats in Paris describe as “a referendum on the organisation’s future orientation” (UNESCO Secretariat source). Early October, the 58 members of the Executive Board will decide which of the two remaining contenders—Egypt’s Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz or the Republic of Congo’s Firmin Édouard Matoko—will be recommended to the 194-nation General Conference in Samarkand. The reduction of the field has sharpened both strategic messaging and bloc politics, creating what one long-time…

A state honour that resonates beyond protocol When President Denis Sassou Nguesso conferred the insignia of Chevalier of the National Order of Merit upon Mariusca Moukengue on 15 August, during the sixty-fifth anniversary celebrations of Congolese independence, the ritual transcended ceremonial splendour. It signalled an institutional recognition of slam poetry as a legitimate vector of national identity. Government communiqués framed the decoration as a salute to “creative perseverance” and to “the exemplary civic engagement of the artist” (Les Dépêches de Brazzaville). In a region where traditional and contemporary art forms frequently vie for public attention, the gesture situates slam within…

A Return Watched Beyond the Stands When Racing Club de Brazzaville (RCB) stepped onto the immaculate pitch of the Ignié Technical Centre for the decisive play-off, it carried more than its own colours. The capital’s club embodied Brazzaville’s ambition to reaffirm its sporting prestige within a domestic league that officials frequently present as a mirror of national vitality. By defeating Association Sportive Ponténégrine over two legs, the RCB re-enters Ligue 1 for the first time since the 2020-2021 relegation, a development the Ministry of Sports has greeted as “an encouraging signal for the professionalisation of our competitions” (Les Dépêches de…