Portfolio companies, particularly the Societe Nationale des Petroles du Congo- SNPC (Congo oil company), the Societe Nationale d’Electricite (SNE) – (National Electricity company) and the Societe Nationale de Distribution d’Eau – SNDE (National Water Company) must change the way they are managed before the celebration of the National day, August 15, 2017. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister, honourable Clement Mouamba, on Thursday, May 4, 2017 in Brazzaville. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Clement Mouamba at a press conference. According to to honourable Calixte Nganongo, Minister of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio " these state owned companies are a real burden for the State. Since they were created, they have been running on the state subventions. This cannot be accepted any more today".

The change of management might certainly lead to the opening of the capital of these companies to the private sector so that those companies improve their performance. The Prime Minister also announced the relaunching of the building and maintenance programme of some infrastructure in the days to come – connecting the industrial zone of Maloukou to the power line of Imboulou power plant, building of a governmental residence and of the national assembly in Brazzaville, the erection of a power line between Moukoukoulou power plant (in the department of Bouenza) and Sibiti( in Lekoumou).

Toll gates and weighing stations will be built along the roads, in order to better monitor the axle overloading, to crack down on those violating the laws and impose heavy fines on them.

"The state budget jumped to 2, 800 billion CFA francs in 2014 from 1503 billion CFA francs, with a gap of more than 1200 billion CFA francs. The gap is really big. We set things right after revising the budget for the 2016 year. Its was all about knowing what was going on and stop the mess. That was what we did. It means that we need to skip some expenditures considered to be unnecessary and take measures beneficial to the economy", Clement Mouamba said.

"The year 2017 paves the way forward to the year 2018, during which the growth rate will improve. The Government ambition is to diversify the economy. There is still hope for the country, but we need cohesion at all levels", he reassured.

The Prime Minister also announced the launching of the construction of the special economic zone (SEZ) in Pointe Noire. According to him, the zone would create 100,000 direct and in-direct jobs. Lastly, he talked about the financing of agricultural activities by the government and the ban on the export of timber.

Adrien WAYI-LEWY