Monday 21 October 2019 in Pointe-Noire, the director of information systems of the Ministry of Finance and Budget, Guy Noël Londongo, opened the workshop-assessment of the first modules of the State Debt Payment Tracking System (SYSPACE), coupled with the training of oil companies' agents to the new modules of this platform.

This review, which takes palce ten months after the launch of SYSPACE on 21 December 2018 in Brazzaville, was presented by Armel Ngo, service head of Valuation, representing the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons. 

The statistics of the first modules of SYSPACE, in its cash form, reveal ecouraging results. In particular, with regard to Reports under Provision for diversified investments (PID), Consumption charge (RAC) and the Surface Fee (RS). For example, in January, March, April, May, June and July 2019, 8 companies out of 9 reported their productions, representing 89 percent. 

 However, from January to June, the number of companies that reported their payments by field (PID and RAC) ranged from only 3 and 4 out of 22. In July and August, no company reported its payment by field. 

Overall, the oil sector has fully subscribed to SYSPACE, which it considers to be a “common good”, between the State and it partners. “We welcome the implementation of such a system that makes the tools of our reports more reliable. However, we note some weaknesses, since the human work is never perfect”, according to Dior Linvani, Total E&P-Congo's oil Tax Executive.

These weaknesses include the delay in validating payments by the Treasury, failure to take account of Trade Agreements and Special Agreements, etc.

The representatives of oil companies suggested, for example, that field payments reports have a monthly chronogram. 

In response, the director of information systems of the Ministry of Finance and Budget has reassured that suggestions and other views of partners will be taken into account in order to improve SYSPACE within the remaining two months. 

The Press office of the Ministry of Finance