Mid-Term Review Highlights Steady Progress
At the halfway point of its five-year schedule, the Project for Accelerating Digital Transformation, known by its French acronym PATN, convened its steering committee in Brazzaville on October 9 to assess achievements against expectations.
Chaired by Sylvain Lékaka, the committee highlighted that approximately 40 percent of the $100 million credit line from the World Bank and the European Union has been disbursed, enabling priority connectivity work and preliminary legal studies.
“We are at the mid-point. We needed to assess what has worked and what hasn’t to make quick adjustments,” explained project coordinator Michel Ngakala just after the session, describing the overall performance as satisfactory so far.
Four Main Objectives for December 2027
The committee approved a new roadmap anchored in four main outcomes aimed at improving delivery between now and the official closing date in December 2027.
First, the team aims to accelerate broadband deployment beyond the main corridors of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, reaching underserved districts and several departmental capitals.
Second, it plans to consolidate the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework underpinning the emerging digital economy, ensuring clarity for investors, start-ups, and end-users.
Third, PATN will strengthen technical assistance to launch the African Center for Artificial Intelligence Research, widely known as Caria, envisioned as a regional think tank and action hub.
Fourth, the project seeks to modernize digital skills programs, expanding capacity at Marien-Ngouabi University, Denis-Sassou-N’Guesso University, and selected vocational institutes.
Funding Breakdown: Where the Money is Going
According to internal figures reviewed during the meeting, over $15 million funded fiber optic extensions and base stations, while nearly $10 million went towards digitizing civil registration tools.
Legal framework studies and government service prototypes attracted around $5 million, with the remaining amount reserved for equipment purchases once tender specifications are finalized.
Steering committee members emphasized that accelerating disbursements remains crucial. “The pace must quicken so that infrastructure and reforms advance together,” noted one advisor, expressing confidence that financial partners will maintain their schedule.
AI Research Center Takes Shape in Caria
Caria, hosted on the green Kintélé campus north of Brazzaville, has already secured architectural designs and the first server racks. PATN funding will cover advanced computing clusters and international faculty exchanges.
Planners want the center to focus on health monitoring algorithms, agro-meteorological forecasting, and natural language processing for Bantu languages, areas considered high-impact for Central Africa.
“Artificial intelligence can help young Congolese innovate at home instead of moving abroad,” stated a lecturer involved in the project, arguing that local research facilities will curb brain drain.