High-Speed Milestone for Remote Districts
Twenty villages from the Niari forest to the Sangha river can now stream conferences and file tax returns online at speeds once limited to the capital. The Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy, Léon Juste Ibombo, confirmed the launch during a press briefing in Brazzaville on October 13.
The event marked the first tangible results of the $100 million Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (DTAP), funded by the World Bank. Engineers activated fourth-generation antennas, providing service up to ten times faster than previous connections, according to ministry technicians consulted after the ceremony.
Local leaders welcomed the appearance of signal bars on phone screens. “I can finally send agronomy data to Oyo without taking the bus,” said Bertin Ndinga, manager of a cocoa cooperative in Sibiti, during a video call that remained stable for the entire seven-minute interview.
Inside the DTAP 2025 Roadmap
Seventy-six sites are scheduled, with completion expected by December 2025. Ibombo stated that an additional three million dollars in funding has already been secured to upgrade radio equipment and solar backup systems, ensuring the network withstands tropical rains and power outages.
Ministry engineers have divided the country into clusters of schools, health centers, and agricultural hubs. Each cluster receives a 30-meter tower and a microwave backhaul link that connects to fiber when available. Clustering, Ibombo argued, “reduces the capital cost per user by nearly 40% while maximizing social return.”
Contractors still need to traverse the Likouala floodplains and the Kouilou escarpments, a logistical challenge worsened by heavy rains. Nevertheless, a mid-term review presented to the visiting World Bank delegation rated the implementation as “satisfactory,” citing a 96% availability rate during initial testing.
World Bank Partnership Momentum
The five-member World Bank delegation, led by Digital Development Specialist Angela Maria Caicedo, remains in Brazzaville until October 22. Her team is visiting newly connected communities with tablets that record bandwidth and latency in real-time, as part of a data-driven supervision approach adopted in Central African projects.
Caicedo told reporters: “Congo’s proactive stance on rural connectivity aligns with the institution’s vision of creating an inclusive and competitive digital economy across the entire CEMAC region.” She added that the 4G backbone could attract investment in cloud services and fintech once coverage thresholds are met.
World Bank officials and ministry staff also reviewed gender-diverse participation. Early indicators show that women comprise 38% of the training cohorts funded by DTAP—above the 30% benchmark set in the project agreements, a point both sides described as encouraging for the digital culture.
Digital 2030 Strategy Awaits Final Approval
All eyes are now on the cabinet for final approval of Congo’s Digital 2030 master plan. Drafted with World Bank consultants over eighteen months, the document outlines the