Author: Inonga Mbala

Government restates: existing levies, new discipline Standing before reporters after his traditional first-Saturday inspection of Brazzaville’s busiest arteries, Minister of Urban Sanitation, Local Development and Road Maintenance Juste Désiré Mondélé offered an unequivocal reassurance: “No new tax has been established. Our task is to organise, not to burden,” he said, citing Cabinet conclusions of 3 January. The Council of Ministers, chaired by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, had recorded persistent dysfunction in the way households’ sanitation payments were collected and channelled, a shortfall that undermines public cleanliness and inflates health risks. By reiterating that the reform merely reorganises pre-existing contributions, the…

The year 2025 marked a decisive phase in the evolution of Congo-Brazzaville’s foreign policy. Rather than being driven by crisis diplomacy or reactive positioning, the country pursued a carefully sequenced strategy based on selective alliances, economic leverage and environmental leadership. From Moscow to Abu Dhabi, from Astana to Washington, a series of high-level engagements reshaped Congo’s diplomatic footprint and strengthened its bargaining power on the global stage. At the center of this trajectory stood Françoise Joly, Personal Representative of President Denis Sassou Nguesso for International Strategy and Negotiations, whose role proved instrumental in translating political intent into durable international outcomes.…

Fresh Roots in Bamou Mingali Observed on 13 December amid the ochre hills of the Djoué-Léfini district, the silent act of lowering 1,143 Pinus seedlings into lateritic soil carried a symbolism that reached far beyond the narrow trench of earth. Executed on a parcel of the National Afforestation and Reforestation Programme, better known by its French acronym Pronar, the operation further anchors the Republic of Congo’s commitment to expand forest cover as a shield against climate volatility. Eco-Diplomacy Between Brazzaville and Caracas The planting session was orchestrated by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Speaking beneath a canvas…

Regulatory momentum under the 2020 Forestry Code Five years after the enactment of Law No. 33 of 8 June 2020, Congo-Brazzaville is translating its ambitious Forestry Code into implementing decrees that will determine how local communities may create and manage community forests. The process has now reached a decisive stage. Between 3 and 5 December 2025, more than twenty representatives of civil-society organisations convened in Brazzaville to scrutinise the draft regulations intended to govern this innovative tenure model (Refadd). The gathering was jointly organised by the Réseau femmes africaines pour le développement durable, the Plateforme pour la gestion durable des…

A Deliberate First Step Toward Global Water Diplomacy In a hall overlooking the banks of the Congo River, senior civil servants, diplomats and technical experts gathered on 26 November for an unprecedented policy conversation: preparing the Republic of Congo’s accession to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The workshop, opened by Frédéric Manienze, chief of staff to the Minister of Energy and Hydraulics, signals Brazzaville’s determination to embed water governance within an international legal framework while climate pressures intensify across Central Africa. Why the 1992 Convention Matters for Congo Adopted under the…

Government backs science-based learning for resilience In a resolutely forward-looking meeting convened on 26 November in Brazzaville, senior officials, academics, development partners and climate specialists examined the final study leading to a national teaching module on climate change adaptation and sustainable water resources management. The initiative, driven by the Congolese government with technical and financial support from the Agence française de développement, seeks to endow universities and training centres with material tailored to domestic realities, thereby embedding climate literacy at the heart of higher education. By foregrounding scientific evidence and policy priorities, the project dovetails with the authorities’ broader ambition…

Landmark sentence cements judicial resolve The Tribunal of Grande Instance of Madingou, sitting on 20 November, handed down a firm two-year custodial sentence to Mr Fulgence Claver Ntondélé Moukoko, alongside an immediate fine of 200,000 CFA francs and civil damages of one million CFA francs to the State. In the quietly packed courtroom the presiding judge emphasised that “the gravity of the offence lies in the irremediable harm inflicted on a strictly protected species”. By opting for the upper range of penalties available under national legislation, the magistrates signalled a determination to deter would-be traffickers from turning Congo-Brazzaville’s forests into…

Diplomatic Momentum Around a Shared Health Horizon In the hushed conference room of Brazzaville’s ministry compound on 4 November 2025, the words “interdependence” and “resilience” echoed with unusual insistence. The Ministry of Forest Economy, flanked by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Wildlife Conservation Society, convened specialists from public health, veterinary science, ecology and civil society to translate the One Health doctrine into a pragmatic Congolese roadmap. Although the Congo Basin often figures in global climate debates, the workshop revealed another strategic treasure: its capacity to act as an early-warning shield against zoonotic pathogens that…

A symbolic hand-over on National Tree Day Under the overcast sky of 6 November 2025, the esplanade of Pointe-Noire’s city hall became the stage for a gesture rich in symbolism: Éric Delattre, Managing Director of TotalEnergies EP Congo, presented nearly 300 young trees to the municipality during the 39th National Tree Day. Created in 1984 to encourage the fight against deforestation and climate change, the annual celebration has matured into a civic ritual that unites local authorities, corporate actors and residents around the same green horizon. Prefect Pierre Cébert Iboko Onanga formally received the donation before passing it on to…

Belém inaugurates a decisive multilateral moment When the thirtieth United Nations Climate Conference opened in Belém, the Amazonian city became the epicentre of a multilateral season loaded with expectations. Yet, within hours, a second tropical colossus had stolen part of the spotlight: the Basin of the Congo. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) seized the opening plenary to issue what its delegates described as an “historic reminder” that the African rainforest constitutes a climatic buttress as vital as its South-American counterpart. The Congo Basin: carbon powerhouse and social lifeline Covering close to three million square kilometres and harbouring the…