Author: Congo Times

A solemn rite anchored in canon law At sunrise on 19 October 2025, the red-laterite esplanade of Sainte-Odile Parish filled with incense, choirs and the measured cadence of liturgical drums. Inside the nave, the Secretary-Chancellor of the Diocese of Nkayi, Abbé Cellot Primat Nkounga Mabikas, acted as delegate of Bishop Daniel Mizonzo to install the new parish priest, Abbé Welcom Bayonzimina. Canonical precision framed every step: the profession of faith, the public proclamation of the Gospel, and the symbolic occupation of the presidential chair, as required by canons 519 and 527 §1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. By…

Festival in Brazzaville champions child protection For forty-eight hours the gardens and halls of the French Institute of Congo in downtown Brazzaville were transformed into a living manifesto for child protection. The Children’s Rights Festival, held from 14 to 15 November 2025, was orchestrated by the country-wide Réseau des intervenants sur le phénomène des enfants en rupture, better known by the acronym REIPER, together with the foundation Apprentis d’Auteuil and with strategic support from the Agence française de développement. Though festive in form—with music, theatre and hands-on art—the gathering addressed the serious theme chosen by the organisers: “Protecting street-connected children…

Local roots, global resonance In the shaded courtyard of Lycée Sébastien Mafouta, the applause that greeted Professor Francine Ntoumi’s announcement still echoes among students. By unveiling the quarterly “Francine Ntoumi Scholarship” for girls in Première and Terminale science streams, the internationally respected microbiologist and head of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research (FCRM) offered more than a cash prize: she projected a vision in which Congolese girls confidently occupy laboratories, engineering firms and public-health agencies. The programme, launched in October, is intentionally circumscribed to Brazzaville’s 8th arrondissement, Madibou, where FCRM has operated for over fifteen years. Yet its resonance travels…

Kintélé’s Emerging Northern Gateway Until recently, the municipality of Kintélé—nestled just north of Brazzaville and bordered by the slow sweep of the Congo River—was chiefly associated with its academic campus and residential expansion. The inauguration on 2 November 2025 of Kylian Appart, an R+2 hotel deemed by its promoters “the most imposing building in Kintélé”, signals a new chapter for this peri-urban locality. Situated along the capital’s second northern exit, the property offers an immediate vantage point for travellers journeying toward the Côni-Kintélé highway and for residents seeking respite from the bustle of downtown Brazzaville. An Architectural Hallmark of Quiet…

A revered voice returns to the arena Few Congolese figures command as much reverence among supporters as Théophile Bagamboula-Mbemba, universally known as “Tostao”. Half a century after lifting the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations, the former striker has stepped back into the public debate with an appeal for a far-reaching renaissance of domestic football. In an exclusive exchange granted to local media, he sketched both the malaise affecting the Red Devils and the avenues he deems essential for recovery. His intervention comes at a delicate juncture. The national team has missed the last five continental finals, and clubs struggle to…

Calm Interrupted by a Sudden Call to Strike For almost six weeks, the leafy campus of Marien-Ngouabi University had regained an atmosphere of relative serenity. The negotiation round of 6 October 2025, during which government envoys assured staff representatives that outstanding remunerations would be settled, appeared to have defused a threatened general walk-out. Lecture halls reopened, administrative counters resumed registration, and students began to prepare for mid-semester assessments. That fragile equilibrium was jolted on the afternoon of 15 November, when the inter-union college—meeting at the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Humanities—announced the launch of an unlimited strike beginning Monday 17…

Inspection reveals discreet yet tangible progress Standing before the concrete shell that already dominates the flat banks of the Oubangui River, Likouala prefect Jean Pascal Koumba chose measured words. During his site inspection on 12 November 2025 he admitted that the pace “is not yet giant steps”, yet he insisted that “changes are visible” and that confidence in the national authorities remains intact. The observation echoes the most recent progress report issued by the Ministry of Health and Population (October 2025), which notes an overall completion rate of 46 %, compared with 37 % in June. While the steel framework…

World Diabetes Day Ignites a Capital-Wide Mobilisation Brazzaville’s riverfront corniche assumed a festive, almost marathon-like atmosphere on 14 November as the NGO Marcher, Courir pour la Cause (MCPLC) chose the symbolic date of World Diabetes Day to outline its roadmap for the closing months of the year. Addressing an audience of journalists and medical practitioners, MCPLC president Rodrigue Dinga Mbomi reminded the press that “diabetes is a silent guest in many Congolese households, yet its advance can be checked by knowledge and by movement”. The statement set the tone for a campaign that seeks to merge clinical vigilance with an…

Africa Youth Day celebrated with national resolve The high-ceilinged amphitheatre of the Ministry of Youth, Civic Education and Sports in Brazzaville resonated on 14 November with ululations, spoken-word poetry and a distinctly entrepreneurial zeal. Presiding over the ceremony, Minister Hugues Ngouelondélé framed Africa Youth Day not merely as an annual commemoration but as “a sounding board for the continent’s next generation of decision-makers,” echoing the 2023 continental theme, From Aspiration to Action, Youth as Catalysts. By aligning the domestic agenda with the African Union’s call, the Republic of Congo positioned its young citizens at the heart of the national development…

High-Level Dialogue Marks a Milestone in Congolese Immunisation Catholic Relief Services’ headquarters in Brazzaville opened its doors on 7 October 2025 to a delegation of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation for a discussion that went beyond ceremonial courtesies. Leading the GAVI mission, country manager Martin Morand sat down with Dr Alemayehu Gebremariam, CRS country representative, to appraise the joint programme that from January 2024 to November 2025 targeted children who had never received a single dose of vaccine or had fallen behind the national schedule. The tone of the encounter was deliberately forward-looking, yet the participants first took…