Voquart Class debuts at Marien-Ngouabi University
The main lecture hall of the presidency building hummed with Wi-Fi and ambition on 4 December as Voquart launched its first Voquart Class under the banner “Create your own autonomy through the Internet”.
More than one hundred participants, representing the nine districts of Brazzaville, crowded round phone-lit tables in what many called their first tech workshop outside school walls.
“Education no longer stops at the classroom door,” communications lead Kimia Mimpongo told the audience, urging them to see each handset as a pocket campus, a shopfront and a passport rolled into one.
Exploring digital autonomy for Congolese youth
Mimpongo insisted that autonomy is now less a distant ideal than a concrete skillset rooted in discipline, regular practice and the conviction that every voice matters.
She linked that conviction to Voquart’s wider mission: giving neighbourhoods a louder say, revealing hidden talent and letting each resident pilot local development rather than waiting for outside fixes.
Council Consultative of Youth delegate Clanel Okana echoed the theme, noting that Internet literacy has become a multiplier of knowledge, opportunity and income for anyone who learns to use it wisely.
Community voices supporting the initiative
Okana reminded the room that e-commerce, content creation, remote work and social tech ventures already employ thousands across Africa and can do the same in Congo once skills and connections align.
Project manager François Packa traced Voquart’s origins to a desire to revive civic spirit and bridge what he called the “last kilometre of inclusion” in fast-growing Brazzaville, now home to an estimated 2.1 million people.
He described the platform as a pragmatic loudspeaker for the smallest, sometimes overlooked suburbs, aimed at strengthening belonging, showcasing talent and underpinning national cohesion.
Deputy Alban Kaky, representing Makélékélé’s third constituency, praised the approach, stressing that community development succeeds only when neighbours know one another, share resources and think of progress as a collective habit rather than a slogan.
Internet skills turning ideas into income
During hands-on sessions, facilitators illustrated how a Facebook Marketplace ad can replace a street stall, how a YouTube tutorial can substitute for expensive tuition and how a cloud drive can stand in for a physical office.
Participants such as 20-year-old Aline, an amateur seamstress from Moukondo, left clutching a video plan to market custom Ankara bags without renting shop space.
Small group clinics on cybersecurity, data pricing and mobile payment integration were filmed for a short recap video under one minute, optimised for WhatsApp sharing and national television highlights.
An indoor photo booth captured each participant with a whiteboard declaring their ‘Internet goal’; the images will form a social media gallery releasing this week to keep the momentum alive.
A roadmap for future editions across Congo
Organisers confirmed that Pointe-Noire and Dolisie should host the next Voquart Class waves in 2024, with travel grants for rural youth so remote communities are not left behind.
Follow-up mentoring circles on Telegram will pair graduates with volunteer coaches in coding, audiovisual editing and micro-export logistics, ensuring the lessons do not fade once the applause stops.
Mimpongo closed the final session by challenging every attendee to upload a first project within thirty days, promising regular spotlights on Voquart’s pages for the most creative solutions.
Her words capped an event that left many checking data balances, drafting business bios and, above all, believing that a stronger, more united Congo can start with one connected phone in each young hand.
