Author: Emmanuel Mbemba

International context frames a national aspiration Every 7 December, the International Civil Aviation Organization marks the anniversary of the 1944 Chicago Convention, inviting its 193 member States to reflect on the future of flight. This year’s motto, “Innovation as the driver of a safer, more efficient and sustainable air transport”, resonated strongly in Brazzaville. Speaking from the Ministry of Transport’s headquarters, Minister Ingrid Olga Ghislaine Ebouka-Babackas reiterated that civil aviation is more than a means of travel; it is an artery of development, regional cohesion and technological progress. The Republic of the Congo, a contracting State since 1961, stands at…

A demographic turning point for Congo With almost seven Congolese in ten now under the age of thirty, the Republic of Congo stands before a demographic watershed. Former minister Digne Elvis Tsalissan Okombi, today general co-ordinator of the Génération Auto Entrepreneur (GAE), argues that this youthful majority can no longer be satisfied with the traditional expectation of civil-service posts. “Young people constitute the engine of our socio-economic development”, he insists, echoing the 28 November 2025 presidential address in which Denis Sassou Nguesso described self-employment as the surest path toward shared prosperity. From inter-generational dialogue to the Blue Wave GAE was…

A strategic gathering in Brazzaville Over the course of two intensive days, 3–4 December, more than three hundred decision-makers, academics and corporate executives converged on Brazzaville for the Republic of Congo’s first Human Capital Forum. Framed around the theme Development and Valorisation of Human Capital: Pillar of Economic and Social Growth in the Republic of Congo, the meeting aimed to turn the abstract notion of human capital into a concrete lever for prosperity. Organised with the backing of the African Human Resources Observatory, the forum immediately positioned itself as a reference platform for professionals eager to align national ambitions with…

A Crucial Call from the Depot The morning of 4 December in Brazzaville’s Mpila depot opened on an insistent chorus of voices from the Société de transport publics urbains, better known under its acronym STPU. Through the umbrella Collective of Congolese Public Transport Unions (CSTCC), drivers, mechanics and ticketing staff delivered a formal declaration urging an accelerated renewal of the corporation’s fleet. Their wording was measured yet unmistakably pressing: without modern buses and coaches, the para-public operator risks what they termed “a road of no return,” an image resonating with commuters accustomed to unpredictable schedules. Beyond Machines: Livelihoods and Governance…

A Seamless Gateway to Entrepreneurship in Brazzaville In a ceremony attended by cabinet colleagues, diplomats and development partners, Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Handicrafts Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo activated what she described as “a new era for the Congolese entrepreneurial landscape”. The web-based platform, operational from 5 December, enables founders to wp-signup.php a company at any hour and from any location with an internet connection. Two business leaders completed their filings in real time during the launch, providing live proof of concept and eliciting applause from the audience. For the minister, the tool erases long-standing administrative hurdles and aligns…

Food Import Bill Tops USD 4.35 Billion Across CEMAC The latest compilation by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) indicates that the six member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community devoted nearly CFA 2 500 billion—about USD 4.35 billion—to imported foodstuffs between 2021 and 2023. The statistic is striking for a region endowed with abundant rainfall, fertile basins and a comparatively low demographic density. Yet the figures reveal that Central Africa’s dinner table is still largely supplied by distant producers. Cameroon, Gabon and Congo Lead the Spending UNCTAD disaggregates the envelope and places Cameroon…

High-level dialogue reaffirms shared infrastructure ambitions In a carefully choreographed meeting on 2 December in Brazzaville, Minister of Urban Sanitation, Local Development and Road Maintenance Juste Désiré Mondélé welcomed African Development Bank (AfDB) Deputy Director General for Central Africa Mohamed Chérif. The two officials reviewed the current portfolio linking the Republic of Congo and the pan-African lender, while mapping out additional avenues for support that could accelerate ongoing projects in sanitation, decentralised public services and strategic road corridors. “These sectors are vital for the population and for the country,” Mr Chérif noted after the talks, underscoring the AfDB’s readiness to…

Kintélé Workshop Sets the Tone for a Data Renaissance For four intensive days, from 29 November to 2 December, the conference hall of Kintélé on the northern outskirts of Brazzaville became the nerve centre of Congo’s statistical future. Representatives of line ministries, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and technical units converged to inaugurate the first operational monitoring and evaluation workshop of the Harmonisation and Improvement of Statistics in West and Central Africa project, known by its acronym Hiswaca. Their shared objective was unambiguous: translate the programme’s broad aspirations into an actionable 2026 Work Plan and Annual Budget that will…

Government decree marks a cautious policy pivot The Ministry of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Affairs formally repealed on 1 December the exceptional measure that had halted imports of machetes and motorbikes since 28 October. Signed by Minister of State Alphonse Claude N’Silou, the circular revokes a decision initially justified by what the cabinet called an “unusual surge of urban delinquency” embodied by the so-called “bébés noirs” youth gangs (Journal de Brazza, 1 December 2025). The new text, effective upon signature, restores the ordinary customs regime while signalling that security agencies will maintain reinforced monitoring at border posts and in wholesale…

Growth forecast signals a cautious but firm revival In his annual address on the state of the nation delivered before the two chambers of Parliament gathered in congress on 28 November, President Denis Sassou Nguesso spoke with measured confidence about the trajectory of the Congolese economy. After several challenging years marked by external shocks and pandemic-related disruptions, real GDP growth is now expected to reach 3.6 % in 2026, a rate that the Head of State described as “resilient for an economy that is restructuring at a slow yet reassuring pace”. The nuance is significant: while hydrocarbon revenues remain essential…