Brazzaville media hub abuzz
Television lights, notebook screens and social-media feeds converged on Brazzaville this week as Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso opened the latest edition of “La Quinzaine du Gouvernement”, a bi-monthly conversation with the press designed to unpack policy choices and offer citizens a front-row view of governance.
The centrepiece of the 20 December session was the public launch of the book “En toute transparence : 2021-2026, le bilan d’un quinquennat”, a 140-page compendium prefaced by President Denis Sassou Nguesso and billed by officials as the most exhaustive self-assessment ever published by a Congolese administration.
Scorecard book draws media focus
Speaking before cameras, Makosso reminded reporters that the Head of State had promised to report to the nation “in full transparency”. The publication, he said, converts that pledge into a tangible object, combining narrative chapters with fifteen illustrated fact sheets that track progress across strategic sectors.
Questions from outlets such as Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, Vox TV and regional radio stations revolved around how the figures were collected, audited and contextualised. Each time, the Prime Minister smiled, waved the hardcover volume and answered, almost like a refrain, “the response is in the book”.
Electricity push toward 1 500 MW
Energy security dominated the early part of the exchange. Makosso reiterated that Congo seeks to raise installed capacity to 1 500 megawatts by 2030 under the National Energy Pact, up from roughly 650 megawatts today, with hydropower, gas-to-power and solar mini-grids all playing complementary roles.
Between 2021 and 2025, the national access rate moved from 49 percent to 59 percent, according to figures included in the book and confirmed by the Ministry of Energy. Urban coverage now stands at 75 percent, while rural access, though lower, has risen to 25 percent.
Youth jobs trend improves
Employment indicators, another subject high on reporters’ lists, also feature prominently in the scorecard. The youth unemployment rate, calculated at 19 percent by the National Institute of Statistics, has edged downward over the past two years, mirroring a broader decline in overall joblessness to around 40 percent.
Officials credit the gradual shift to targeted apprenticeship schemes, tax incentives for micro-enterprises and the roll-out of the Youth Solidarity Fund. “We are not declaring victory, but the curve is bending in the right direction,” Makosso observed, adding that additional reforms would be detailed in forthcoming labour reviews.
Road link Brazzaville-Pointe-Noire upgraded
Infrastructure reporters then steered the conversation toward the 536-kilometre corridor linking the economic capital Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville. Thirty kilometres are currently under construction or full reconstruction, with crews focusing on stretches where heavy-duty truck traffic meets rainfall-driven erosion.
Financing combines state resources, a concessional loan from the African Development Bank and equity from the Pointe-Noire Autonomous Port. Project engineers told local station Radio Kouilou that new drainage culverts and concrete shoulders should extend the life of the road surface by at least ten years once delivered.
From review to future pact
For Makosso, the glossy publication is only Part One of a longer story. President Sassou Nguesso’s preface calls for a “Pact for Congo’s Future”, an agreement he frames as both social and economic, anchored in the gains catalogued and tuned to Sustainable Development Goal benchmarks.
Draft concept notes obtained by our newsroom mention three pillars: human capital, green industrialisation and territorial cohesion. Government advisers hint that consultations with civil society, business chambers and development partners could start early next year, with a white paper expected before mid-2025, subject to Cabinet approval.
Media event under Quinzaine banner
La Quinzaine du Gouvernement, introduced in 2022, has become a fixture on the capital’s media calendar. Every two months, ministers face journalists in thematic pairings: finance and planning one session, health and education the next. The format mirrors town-hall broadcasting experimented with during the COVID-19 information campaign.
Press-union representative Thérèse Loubaki welcomes the practice. “We can challenge the numbers on the spot, yet we also get direct access to source documents,” she told our Pointe-Noire bureau. Her association plans to train young reporters in data literacy so future sessions yield deeper, evidence-based narratives.
Analysts from the Congolese Observatory of the Economy note that periodic scorecards carry reputational benefits internationally, especially among investors tracking macro-stability. “Markets like clarity,” economist Maxime Ossiala said, pointing to Congo’s recent return to the regional bond market at competitive yields after a year of volatility.
Macroeconomic gains underline report
Behind the sectoral snapshots lies a broader macro picture. The book cites growth rebounding to 4.0 percent in 2023, primary surplus restoration and inflation tamed below the CEMAC ceiling of 3 percent. The International Monetary Fund, in its October staff note, described the trajectory as “encouraging”, albeit still sensitive to oil prices.
As the auditorium emptied, many journalists tucked review copies under their arms while technicians dismantled lighting rigs. The conversation around results, challenges and next steps now shifts from podiums to households, where readers will test the numbers against their daily realities, exactly as the authors intended.