Author: Emmanuel Kimbangu

Public policy evaluation as a governance accelerator in Congo For two intense days, 4 and 5 December, the Grand Hôtel de Kintélé turned into a laboratory of ideas on how the Republic of Congo can translate ambitious legislation into tangible progress. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration and the Ministry in charge of State Reform, the inaugural Congolese Evaluation Days carried the telling subtitle “Public policy evaluation, a strategic lever for the promotion of good governance of public action”. The choice of framing was deliberate: evaluation is no longer presented as a peripheral audit exercise but…

A packed legislative agenda The Seventh Conference of Presidents in the Senate and the Tenth in the National Assembly, both held on 8 October in Brazzaville, have lifted the veil on an unusually dense ordinary session slated to commence on 15 October. Senate President Pierre Ngolo, flanked by Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, detailed twelve matters inscribed on the upper chamber’s docket, eleven of which are entirely new. Parallel consultations in the lower house, chaired by Speaker Isidore Mvouba, produced a schedule of comparable magnitude that will keep lawmakers engaged well into the final quarter of the year (official communiqué,…

A Strategic Shift: From USAID Support to Budget Cuts During his initial tenure, Donald Trump’s engagement with the African continent was notably minimal. Despite maintaining the budget of USAID, the cornerstone of American aid to Africa, his administration seemed to adhere to a longstanding tradition of development support. However, a significant policy shift has emerged with Trump’s return to office, marking a stark reduction in USAID’s allocation for Africa. This pivot in strategy signals a potential decline in financial aid set to affect numerous developmental projects across the continent. The AGOA Dilemma: A Pivotal Trade Agreement Under Threat Central to…