Author: Congo Times

Trust: The Invisible Currency of National Cohesion Across the Republic of Congo, the question of confidence—this subtle but decisive inclination to believe that the other will do no harm—has quietly moved to the centre of public conversations. When neighbours hesitate to lend a hand, when professionals suspect hidden agendas, and when institutions appear distant, the social fabric thins. Trust, by definition, presupposes a sense of security anchored in honesty, objectivity and an admitted fallibility. Without those virtues, the sense of community falters, opening the way to doubt and ultimately to confrontation. From Mistrust to Defiance: A Slippery Psychological Path The…

A strategic pivot toward international best practice The echoing hall of the ministry on Avenue de la Paix felt momentarily like a lecture theatre as Minister of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio Christian Yoka opened the technical workshop devoted to validating a new corpus of public-sector accounting standards. His declaration that “we can no longer manage twenty-first-century challenges with twentieth-century tools” captured the political intent behind the initiative. The reform, developed under the Accelerated Programme for Institutional Governance and Reforms (PAGIR) and technically shepherded by the World Bank, positions Congo-Brazzaville to adopt norms broadly inspired by the International Public Sector…

A Call Resounding in Brazzaville The afternoon heat of 14 September had scarcely begun to abate when delegates of the Rassemblement des Forces du Changement gathered for the final session of their founding assembly in the capital. From the podium, President Clément Mierassa let no rhetorical flourish obscure the gravity of his message: the nation, he said, stands at a crossroads. Without rancour but with unmistakable urgency, he invited his peers to embrace “the work that will usher in a profound mutation” of political practice in Congo-Brazzaville. From Diagnosis to Actionable Programme Mierassa’s speech offered more than an alarm bell;…

Luanda opener sets the tone for the Angola 50 Years fête An electric atmosphere filled the Kilamba arena in Luanda as the host nation inaugurated the Angola 50 Years international handball tournament, a sporting jewel embedded in the golden-jubilee celebrations of the Republic of Angola. In the curtain-raiser, the Angolan senior women’s team—ten-time African champions—prevailed 25-21 against a Congolese side that refused to be awed by pedigree or home support. The four-goal margin, modest by the standards of recent duels between the two Central African neighbours, drew applause from observers who sensed a competitive balance emerging on the continent. A…

Farewell to a Patriarch of the PCT The soft morning light of 17 September filtered through the columns of Brazzaville’s downtown cemetery as the flag-draped coffin of Vital Balla was carried to its final resting place. Party cadres, government representatives and a cross-section of civil society stood in solemn silence, conscious that they were witnessing the departure of one of the last living architects of the Congolese Party of Labour. From the rostrum, Secretary-General Pierre Moussa evoked a man whose “force of conviction and unwavering commitment to peace made him an icon of our national story.” At the request of…

Strategic land allocation for potash export hub The Council of Ministers convened on 17 September 2025 at the Palais du Peuple under the high authority of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Foremost among the measures adopted was the authorisation for the Chinese-Congolese firm Luyuan des Mines Congo to occupy 577 hectares in the Hollmoni area of Loango, Kouilou. The decree converts a state land reserve into an industrial zone slated for a deep-water port dedicated to potash pellets. Valued at over 200 million US dollars, the investment is projected to generate roughly 1 500 jobs during construction and more than 800…

Symbolic Diplomacy at Bangui Summit When the six Heads of State of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa converged on Bangui for the sixteenth CEMAC Conference, protocol quickly gave way to symbolism. In the gilded halls of the Palais de la Reconnaissance, 193 personalities were decorated, including all incumbent leaders of the sub-region and the President of the CEMAC Commission, Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, each elevated to Grand-Commander of the Order of Community Merit. The gesture, rare in scale, publicly reaffirmed a collective commitment to the regional project at a moment when external shocks and fiscal tightening test cohesion…

Field command in the 7th district On 12 September 2025, well before the tropical dusk settled over Brazzaville, the Commander of the Congolese Police, General André Fils Obami Itou, arrived unannounced in the streets of Mfilou, the capital’s populous seventh arrondissement. Flanked by the district’s mayor, Bibiane Kouloumbou, he crossed the dusty esplanade where block leaders and quartier chiefs had gathered after a summons issued barely twenty-four hours earlier. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of the Interior released the same evening, the visit formed part of a broader series of “citizen encounters” launched in early September to recalibrate…

Ocean-side mobilisation for December’s Congress A carefully choreographed gathering at the Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire drew a dense crowd of militants and sympathisers as Political Commissioner Firmin Ayessa formally opened the sixth Conference of Committee Presidents for the city’s federation of the Congolese Party of Labour. The event, held on 14 September, served a dual purpose: consolidating ideological training and launching the special contribution destined to underwrite the party’s sixth Ordinary Congress scheduled for December. Ayessa’s opening address set the tone. “Each of you will leave this political school armed with the qualitative surplus required to invigorate the party’s structures,”…

Presidential Envoy Reaches Out to Paris-Based Expatriates The marbled hall of an association venue in northern Paris briefly echoed Brazzaville’s cadenced French on 13 September. Rodrigue Malanda-Samba, political adviser to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, convened a second “rencontre citoyenne” with the Congolese diaspora. The emissary’s message was unequivocal: “The authorities only wish to see you come home, and no one will be jailed for doing so.” His declaration, delivered in measured yet confident tones, sought to dispel lingering apprehensions among expatriates who fear judicial or political reprisals upon return. A Measured Response to Security Concerns Several interlocutors raised the spectre…