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Congo

The United Nations flag at Unesco headquarters in Paris in November 2022. © Stéphane Mouchmouche/Hans Lucas via AFP

Two candidates emerge to challenge Egypt's Anani for top UNESCO job

Two new candidates are now competing with the former Egyptian tourism minister for the directorship of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 13.03.2025

Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso in Addis Ababa, on 14 February 2025. © Amanuel Sileshi / AFP

Congolese First Lady flees France after judge issues summons

Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso left France in a hurry this week after a summons was issued in late February ordering her to appear before a Paris magistrate in connection with the so-called ‘ill-gotten gains' case.

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 07.03.2025

French police visit Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso's Paris flat over 'ill-gotten gains'

Antoinette and Denis Sassou-Nguesso at the re-opening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, on 7 December 2024. © Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 06.03.2025

Rodrigue Malanda-Samba, linchpin for Sassou in Pool region

Head of the presidency's political department, Malanda-Samba is back in the National Assembly. As an elected representative from Pool, a region traditionally averse to the president's power, he is one of Denis Sassou-Nguesso's key supporters for 2026's presidential vote.

Subscribers only Politics 26.02.2025

Cameroon spat upsets plans for employers' summit in Brazzaville

Plans to hold the Rassemblement des Entrepreneurs Francophones, a forum for business owners from French-speaking African nations, in June in Brazzaville have been upset by a rival event by the Economic Community of Central African States’ (CEEAC) business council.

Subscribers only Business 20.02.2025

Spotlight
Commisimpex, Brazzaville's super-creditor, trapped by its own creditor

President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 14 February 2025. © Amanuel Sileshi/AFP

Subscribers only Business 19.02.2025

The New Guard
Kenya, Congo, Madagascar

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

KenyaKate Kallot, forerunner of African AI

CongoSéné Ossebi-Douniam, visionary of the sports press

MadagascarDavid Ralambofiringa, minister for trade... and vanilla

Free access Commodity traders, Business 19.02.2025

AOGC boss makes implausible oil production boost boast

Oil firms are often overly optimistic when estimating the amount they produce, and will happily inflate their figures by a few thousand barrels. But Africa Oil and Gas Corp (AOGC) director general Jean-Christophe Da Silva recently took this hyperbole to a whole new level.

Subscribers only Energy 19.02.2025

Sassou tries to delay his clan's sumptuous weddings

The Congolese leader has asked his entourage to postpone their expensive ceremonies until after the 2026 presidential election, fearing that they might upset the rest of the country. Yet his daughter Claudia remains determined to go ahead and tie the knot next month.

Subscribers only Politics 14.02.2025

Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso in Oyo, Congo, July 2022.

Trafigura comes to rescue of SNPC by settling Glencore debt

Brazzaville has obtained pre-financing from Trafigura to settle its debt with Glencore, much to the dismay of international financial institutions.

Subscribers only Energy 10.02.2025

Denis Sassou-Nguesso kicks off Washington charm offensive

The Congolese president has enlisted the services of the lobbying firm GlobalPoint in a bid to get closer to Donald Trump's administration.

Subscribers only Business 10.02.2025

Old Congolese debts catch up with Egis

The French engineering company is being sued by its former sales representative in Congo, Cores, for several million euros in unpaid commission. At the heart of the dispute is a securitised €25m bond issued by the Congolese state.

Subscribers only Infrastructure, Business 07.02.2025

Rejected Confederation of African Football candidates ready appeals

Several candidates up for election to the CAF have had their applications rejected. Two of them have already taken their case to Switzerland's Court of Arbitration.

Subscribers only Politics 04.02.2025

African troubles contributed to CEO Bories' exit from French miner Eramet

Christel Bories had lofty ambitions for Africa when she took the Eramet helm in 2017. Yet she achieved few of them, and the French mining group is being challenged on its Gabonese and Senegalese sites.

Subscribers only Mining 03.02.2025

The CEO of the Eramet Group, Christel Bories, in Argentina, in July 2024.

President Sassou-Nguesso expected to make official visit to France

The Congolese head of state is due to make an official visit to France at the end of February, during which he will hold talks with Emmanuel Macron. During this trip, the so-called "ill-gotten gains" case against several people close to Denis Sassou-Nguesso could loom large once again.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 31.01.2025

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso at the Élysée Palace, Paris, France, 3 September 2019.

Inner circles
Banker Ibrahim Magassa dispenses financial advice from Abidjan to Brazzaville

At the comparatively young age of 44, the French-Ivorian banker has established himself as a leading adviser to indebted states, initially to Ivory Coast and then to Congo and Ghana. He can rely on a solid network of contacts in Paris, not least at the investment bank Rothschild.

Subscribers only Finance 24.01.2025

Why Sassou sacked his finance minister

Managing public revenue had become a headache for Denis Sassou-Nguesso. His solution was to replace Jean-Baptiste Ondaye, who had become very isolated in recent months, with Ludovic Ngatsé.

Subscribers only Politics 15.01.2025

Jean-Baptiste Ondaye in Brazzaville, Congo, 22 September 2023.

Presidential adviser Françoise Joly boosts her standing in Brazzaville

Sassou's confidant has managed to have one of her allies promoted to head of presidential protocol, much to the dismay of intelligence chief Jean-Dominique Okemba. Joly may be ruffling a few feathers, but she still enjoys the confidence of the head of state.

Subscribers only Politics 14.01.2025

Impatient Glencore badgers Brazzaville to pay debt

The Congolese state still owes the Swiss trader $349m, but its ability to keep up payments is shrinking.

Subscribers only Finance, Energy 20.12.2024

CEMAC leaders still hopeful operators will reach rehabilitation fund deal

The presidents of the sub-region have given oil and mining operators until April to find common ground with the bloc's central bank on the repatriation of their rehabilitation funds. Until then, negotiation talks will be held on a monthly basis.

Subscribers only Energy 19.12.2024

SPIE's oil troubles

The French energy and telecoms giant is struggling to maintain its subcontracting work with oil companies in Africa. It has been directly accused of responsibility for the deadly fire on the Becuna platform in Gabon in March and faces other problems elsewhere in the wider region.

Subscribers only Energy 18.12.2024

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DRC
Washington deal: intricacies behind Tshisekedi's poker move

Namibia
Namibia oil utopia hangs on TotalEnergies' final investment decision

Congo

Two candidates emerge to challenge Egypt's Anani for top UNESCO job

Congolese First Lady flees France after judge issues summons

French police visit Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso's Paris flat over 'ill-gotten gains'

Rodrigue Malanda-Samba, linchpin for Sassou in Pool region

Cameroon spat upsets plans for employers' summit in Brazzaville

Spotlight
Commisimpex, Brazzaville's super-creditor, trapped by its own creditor

The New Guard
Kenya, Congo, Madagascar

KenyaKate Kallot, forerunner of African AI

CongoSéné Ossebi-Douniam, visionary of the sports press

MadagascarDavid Ralambofiringa, minister for trade... and vanilla

AOGC boss makes implausible oil production boost boast

Sassou tries to delay his clan's sumptuous weddings

Trafigura comes to rescue of SNPC by settling Glencore debt

Denis Sassou-Nguesso kicks off Washington charm offensive

Old Congolese debts catch up with Egis

Rejected Confederation of African Football candidates ready appeals

African troubles contributed to CEO Bories' exit from French miner Eramet

President Sassou-Nguesso expected to make official visit to France

Inner circles
Banker Ibrahim Magassa dispenses financial advice from Abidjan to Brazzaville

Why Sassou sacked his finance minister

Presidential adviser Françoise Joly boosts her standing in Brazzaville

Impatient Glencore badgers Brazzaville to pay debt

CEMAC leaders still hopeful operators will reach rehabilitation fund deal

SPIE's oil troubles

CEMAC heads of state to discuss Gabon and Congo's debts

Businessman Claude Dohou's star on rise among French Freemasons

Airport security firm SICASS sets up in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire

Sassou to visit Libya for first time in 13 years

Create a notification

About Africa Intelligence

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Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Indigo Publications' websites

DRC Washington deal: intricacies behind Tshisekedi's poker move

Namibia Namibia oil utopia hangs on TotalEnergies' final investment decision

Cabo Delgado: a gas Eldorado and security nightmare

West African cocoa cartel battles with the traders

The generals waging war from Khartoum to Darfur

Congo

Two candidates emerge to challenge Egypt's Anani for top UNESCO job

Congolese First Lady flees France after judge issues summons

French police visit Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso's Paris flat over 'ill-gotten gains'

Rodrigue Malanda-Samba, linchpin for Sassou in Pool region

Cameroon spat upsets plans for employers' summit in Brazzaville

Spotlight Commisimpex, Brazzaville's super-creditor, trapped by its own creditor

The New Guard Kenya, Congo, Madagascar

KenyaKate Kallot, forerunner of African AI

CongoSéné Ossebi-Douniam, visionary of the sports press

MadagascarDavid Ralambofiringa, minister for trade... and vanilla

AOGC boss makes implausible oil production boost boast

Sassou tries to delay his clan's sumptuous weddings

Trafigura comes to rescue of SNPC by settling Glencore debt

Denis Sassou-Nguesso kicks off Washington charm offensive

Old Congolese debts catch up with Egis

Rejected Confederation of African Football candidates ready appeals

African troubles contributed to CEO Bories' exit from French miner Eramet

President Sassou-Nguesso expected to make official visit to France

Inner circles Banker Ibrahim Magassa dispenses financial advice from Abidjan to Brazzaville

Why Sassou sacked his finance minister

Presidential adviser Françoise Joly boosts her standing in Brazzaville

Impatient Glencore badgers Brazzaville to pay debt

CEMAC leaders still hopeful operators will reach rehabilitation fund deal

SPIE's oil troubles

CEMAC heads of state to discuss Gabon and Congo's debts

Businessman Claude Dohou's star on rise among French Freemasons

Airport security firm SICASS sets up in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire

Sassou to visit Libya for first time in 13 years

Create a notification

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

DRC
Washington deal: intricacies behind Tshisekedi's poker move

Namibia
Namibia oil utopia hangs on TotalEnergies' final investment decision

Spotlight
Commisimpex, Brazzaville's super-creditor, trapped by its own creditor

The New Guard
Kenya, Congo, Madagascar

Inner circles
Banker Ibrahim Magassa dispenses financial advice from Abidjan to Brazzaville