Author: Mabiala Mukeba

Libreville hosts a strategic gathering Since 8 December, the conference rooms of Libreville have become the laboratory of an ambitious regional undertaking. More than sixty officials from the national statistical institutes of Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and Chad are quietly shaping the future of Central African food security. Their five-day workshop, steered by the Commission of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and financed by the World Bank with technical input from the Economic and Statistical Observatory of Sub-Saharan Africa (Afristat), is devoted to one highly specific objective:…

Momentum returns to the Congolese economy In its final 2025 meeting held on 8 December in Brazzaville, the National Economic and Financial Committee of Congo, the domestic branch of the Bank of Central African States, delivered a notably sanguine assessment of economic activity. Chaired by Minister of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio Christian Yoka, the session concluded that real gross domestic product should expand by 2.8 % for the year, almost doubling the 1.5 % recorded in 2024 (CNEF communiqué). Delegates emphasised that this acceleration is neither fortuitous nor solely contingent on the hydrocarbon sector. Although fresh capital expenditure on…

Congo’s triumphant re-entry into global capital markets Nineteen years after its last international fundraising exercise, the Republic of Congo has returned to the stage with a USD 670 million eurobond carrying a 9.875 per cent coupon and maturing in November 2032. The notes, admitted to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange under the Regulation S regime, will be amortised in five equal instalments between 2028 and 2032, thereby spreading the repayment burden over the second half of the decade. The joint lead manager Citigroup placed the transaction with a book dominated by investors familiar with frontier-market…

A discreet but strategic coalition From the outside, the Network of Consumer Associations may look like a modest civil-society platform, yet its organisational chart reveals a strategic geometry. Established on 18 February 2016 and officially recognised on 20 December 2022, the RAC federates six associations spread from Brazzaville to Ouesso and Makoua. This territorial footprint allows the organisation to monitor markets that range from the urban mass-retail clusters of the capital to more fragmented hinterland outlets. At its helm, Dieudonné Moussala presides over a board that also brings together François Lapa-Lapa as secretary and Patricia Marie Estelle Loemba as rapporteur,…

Presidential Decree Sets a New Tone for Media Governance On 7 August 2025, Presidential Decree 2025-340 entrusted Médard Milandou Nsonga with the presidency of the Conseil supérieur de la liberté de communication (CSLC). The nomination, applauded by the Ministry of Communication, has been presented as part of a broader governmental roadmap aimed at “consolidating democratic debate through responsible journalism”. While some foreign observers interpret the move as continuity, domestic stakeholders perceive a possible inflection point, given Mr Nsonga’s dual background as a journalist and cultural impresario. CSLC’s Institutional Evolution and International Benchmarks Created in 2001, the CSLC was conceived to…

Algiers Sets the Stage for Pan-African Commerce From 4 to 10 September, the Palais des Expositions in Algiers will momentarily become the continent’s busiest trading floor. The fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), convened by Afreximbank in partnership with the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, is forecast to welcome more than 2 000 companies, 35 000 visitors and a cohort of political leaders intent on translating the AfCFTA’s promise into palpable contracts (Afreximbank press release). The organisers target 44 billion USD in trade and investment commitments—an ambition that would eclipse the 36 billion concluded during the…

Antananarivo becomes the continent’s debt observatory For three days in late June the volcanic highlands of Madagascar hosted an unusually frank conversation about money. Governors of central banks, chief executives from Abidjan to Addis Ababa and policy advisers convened under the auspices of the Club des Dirigeants de Banques et Établissements de Crédit d’Afrique. Their stated purpose was austere—“The management of public borrowing in Africa: challenges and solutions proposed by banks and central banks”—yet the atmosphere was anything but technocratic. Rising debt servicing costs have turned the subject into an urgent geopolitical matter, and delegates knew that their diagnosis could…

A Disrupted Certification Process In recent months, the Kenyan government has taken a decisive step by suspending all ongoing and upcoming audits by the Rainforest Alliance NGO on tea plantations. This decision comes amidst complex interactions between government policy, environmental oversight, and agricultural practices. The Rainforest Alliance certification, known globally for endorsing environmentally sound agriculture, plays a critical role in ensuring sustainable farming practices. Market Repercussions The absence of the coveted Rainforest Alliance label has begun to ripple through the international tea market. Buyers, increasingly aware of ethical and sustainability issues, may hesitate to engage with uncertified sources, thereby putting…