Coastal district embraces national roadmap
On 19 December in the hall of Ngoyo’s mairie, administrator–mayor Genest Wilfrid Paka Banthoud gathered representatives of youth groups, associations and traditional leaders to unpack President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s 28 November address on the state of the nation delivered before a joint session of Parliament.
- Coastal district embraces national roadmap
- Peace and cohesion form the foundation
- Year of the Youth ignites ambition
- Funds FONEA and FIGA under spotlight
- Security push accompanies economic rebound
- Dialogue and solidarity in everyday life
- Residents weigh opportunities and challenges
- Aligning local plans with presidential pillars
- Momentum carried into festive season
The local elected official described the presidential message as “a reminder of our collective responsibility, national resilience and personal involvement in consolidating shared projects”, urging every household in the coastal district to “seize its scope and draw inspiration” for daily decisions and long-term plans.
Peace and cohesion form the foundation
Peace, unity and progress formed the backbone of the speech, Paka Banthoud stressed, echoing the Head of State’s conviction that no development can emerge without a calm social climate built on dialogue and solidarity between generations, professions and the diverse cultural communities that call Congo home.
Looking back over six-plus decades often punctuated by sociopolitical crises, the mayor noted that the country “is gradually regaining its stability”. This restored serenity, he said, should inspire a new embrace of the values of unity that originally guided the Republic’s founders.
Year of the Youth ignites ambition
The presidential decision to proclaim 2024 “Year of the Youth” featured prominently in Ngoyo’s discussion. Paka Banthoud framed the announcement as a nationwide call for mobilisation around education, vocational training and real access to employment for the fast-growing younger demographic.
He reminded the audience that new classrooms, workshops and learning centres are entering service, while specific funds such as FONEA and FIGA have been created to spark autonomy and professional insertion. “These funds constitute an essential lever for projects driven by our youth,” he insisted.
Funds FONEA and FIGA under spotlight
Beyond the educational realm, the administrator–mayor cited “encouraging” economic indicators nationally to justify a fresh drive against insecurity, incivility and anything that disturbs public tranquillity. Sustained local growth, he argued, depends on a secure environment where businesses can invest and families can thrive.
“Let us be firm at every level of competence,” Paka Banthoud told sector heads, promising to work “without respite” so that Ngoyo becomes a haven of peace, a place where children grow in a calm atmosphere and socio-economic activities expand with mutual respect.
Security push accompanies economic rebound
He insisted that the November presidential address should never remain a “simple republican exercise” but function as a real engine of commitment. For the mayor, every citizen, family and street corner forms “an essential element of our common future” and must actively translate words into deeds.
Observers note that Ngoyo, Pointe-Noire’s sixth arrondissement, combines bustling industrial zones near the port with rapidly expanding residential quarters. Such diversity makes the district a microcosm of the national challenges the president listed: safeguarding social cohesion while pursuing modernisation and sustainable, inclusive growth.
Dialogue and solidarity in everyday life
Cohesion, according to the mayor, begins with constant dialogue. He urged community councils and neighbourhood associations to keep communication channels open, encouraging residents to report concerns early and participate in the design of local initiatives aligned with the presidential roadmap.
Solidarity, he added, must move beyond slogans. Practical gestures—supporting vulnerable neighbours, assisting returning pupils with school supplies, respecting public spaces—create the everyday trust that fuels development projects. In his view, Ngoyo can become a benchmark for such practical citizenship.
Residents weigh opportunities and challenges
The call resonates in households still processing the economic aftershocks of recent global crises. Parents eyeing rising living costs see opportunity in youth-oriented funds, while young entrepreneurs consider whether FONEA and FIGA could transform side gigs into registered businesses benefiting the wider community.
Ngoyo’s authorities plan follow-up workshops early next year to explain application procedures for both funds and to define local security priorities together with police and civil society. Dates have yet to be announced, but the mayor promised transparency and regular feedback sessions.
Aligning local plans with presidential pillars
Officials in Ngoyo say they will transmit residents’ suggestions to the competent ministries, ensuring that national directives on youth promotion reflect on-the-ground realities. The municipality intends to use its annual budget debate to align projects with the president’s pillars of unity, work and progress.
For many citizens, the success of this agenda will be measured in everyday improvements: safer streets after dark, shorter queues at training centres, and concrete openings for first jobs. The administrator–mayor’s challenge is to convert the presidential vision into these tangible wins.
Momentum carried into festive season
To keep the momentum alive, the administrator–mayor urged families to revisit the presidential text during year-end gatherings, turning national guidelines into personal commitments and neighbourhood discussions that will, in his view, anchor 2024 in a spirit of unity and forward planning.
Until then, his message is simple: appropriating the Head of State’s orientations is not a top-down obligation but a collective opportunity. “Together we can keep building a peaceful, strong and forward-looking Congo,” Paka Banthoud concluded, to warm applause from the gathered audience.
