Author: Mwamba Kabongo

A Congolese–French Initiative of Empathy The festive season arrived a few days early for dozens of young patients at the Kremlin-Bicêtre University Hospital and the Corbeil-Essonnes Hospital, both cornerstones of paediatric care in the Paris region. At the heart of the surprise stood Ton Sourire Ma Joie (TSMJ), a Franco-Congolese association created and chaired by Gwladys Malonga, whose dual cultural identity translates into an acute sensitivity for transnational solidarity. The non-profit, assisted by volunteers and supported by the French insurer AXA, set itself a simple yet demanding goal: make hospital corridors resound with laughter rather than clinical beeps. Over the…

Diplomatic overture in Brazzaville The marbled corridors of the Palais du Sénat received an unusual guest list this week. Adama-Dian Barry, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, led a high-level delegation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to the office of Senate President Pierre Ngolo. With courteous ceremony the visitors laid out a straightforward plea: at a time when several traditional donors are recalibrating their foreign-aid envelopes, the Republic of Congo must accelerate the mobilisation of its own fiscal resources for health. “Who better than the Senate,” observed Plaikessi Kouadjani, the Fund’s lead portfolio…

World Stroke Day: A Timely Reminder for Congo Every 29 October, the international community pauses to observe World Stroke Day, an initiative designed to sharpen public vigilance against a disease that has climbed to the second leading cause of death worldwide and remains the foremost cause of acquired disability in adults. In Brazzaville, the commemoration has grown in resonance: emergency physicians and community advocates deploy media campaigns, street screenings and hospital open days to impress upon citizens that a stroke is as much a race against time as it is against biology. The overarching message is unambiguous—recognise the warning signs…

A’Solidarity Day Sets an Ambitious Tone for Public Health The rhythmic bustle of the Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire paused on 23 September 2025, only to resume in a more generous cadence. Under the banner of A’Solidarity Day, Africa Global Logistics (AGL) convened 1,500 colleagues from its subsidiaries – Congo Terminal and Terminaux du Bassin du Congo – for a blood-donation marathon simultaneously held in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville. The move, applauded by medical practitioners on both banks of the Congo River, illustrates how a logistics group can leverage industrial discipline to advance a national health priority. In concrete terms, the operation…

Pointe-Noire’s Stage Becomes a Diplomatic Asset When the amber twilight falls over the esplanade Yaro in Tié-Tié, Pointe-Noire’s 4th arrondissement, the city’s dockside bustle gives way to the cadence of drums and the lilting cadence of ancestral tales. It is in this liminal hour, on 2 August, that Compagnie Nzonzi will premiere “Le soir au Bongui”, a performance that fuses narration and polyrhythmic percussion. Officially, the evening is devoted to the “valorisation des arts de la parole”; yet for seasoned observers of Central African politics, it also illustrates how the Republic of Congo quietly leverages culture as an instrument of…

Global Fund’s New Injection of Confidence and Cash The streets of Brazzaville’s central district briefly resembled a diplomatic fairground on 27 June, as refrigerated trucks emblazoned with the United Nations logo were lined up for formal hand-over to the Congolese authorities. The ceremony marked the arrival of equipment acquired by the United Nations Development Programme through a USD 2.8 million tranche of Global Fund resources. It also served as the de facto launch of a larger, three-year envelope valued at EUR 90 million. That sum, approved in Geneva last December, will cover antiretroviral therapies, anti-tubercular drugs and long-lasting insecticidal nets…

Congo’s Renewed Data Collection Initiative In an effort to procure data that can drive public health policies, the Republic of Congo is set to initiate its third Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) next August. This strategic initiative, facilitated by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), will deploy field agents across the nation’s fifteen departments to amass health data. The survey will encompass a wide array of indicators, from hospital attendance rates to contraceptive practices, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS along with nutritional data. Targeting Populations for Comprehensive Insights The DHS will focus on gathering extensive information from key demographics: women…