Author: Josephine Mbala

Brazzaville Sets the Tone for Quality Governance A modest conference room at the ministerial complex in Brazzaville became, on 4 September, the focal point of Congo-Brazzaville’s latest administrative reform. Gilbert Mokoki, Minister of State Control, Public Service Quality and the Fight against Antivalues, inaugurated a high-level workshop dedicated to the challenges of ISO 9001:2015 certification. Far from being a purely technical exercise, the training—inscribed in the 2025 Budgeted Annual Work Plan—signals the government’s determination to embed international quality standards within the machinery of state. By convening cabinet members, directors, quality focal points and internal auditors, the ministry is betting on…

A Curious Dawn for Customary Tenure in Central Africa When officials in Brazzaville convened civil-society actors and forest dwellers at the close of June, sceptics were quick to recall decades of stalled land reform across the Congo Basin. Yet the new draft decree on safeguarding Indigenous customary tenure, discussed behind the ochre walls of the capital’s diplomatic district, suggests a moment of rare political receptivity. The Congolese government touts its 2011 law on Indigenous peoples as the first of its kind in Africa, but the enabling regulations—those that decide how a right is exercised at the forest edge—have long remained…

Navigating Unpredictability in Agriculture In the ethnically diverse and agriculturally driven nation of Niger, climatic unpredictability has long been a formidable adversary. A significant part of the nation’s economy hinges on agriculture, yet it remains vulnerable to the vicissitudes of weather patterns. With rainfall increasingly erratic, the government is steering towards irrigation as a cornerstone for its agricultural strategy, aiming to safeguard both food security and economic stability. A Strategic Initiative Against Climatic Odds Faced with these daunting challenges, Niger’s government has embarked on an ambitious mission to expand irrigation infrastructure. As highlighted in a World Bank report from April…