A high-level delegation from the African Development Bank, led by the Secretary General, Vincent Nmehielle and the Director General for Central Africa, Léandre Bassolé, has concluded a consultation mission to the Republic of Congo in preparations for the Bank's 2026 Annual Meetings which will be hosted in Brazzaville.
The Republic of Congo was officially designated host country for the 2026 Annual Meetings following a resolution adopted at the Bank's Board of Governors meeting in Accra, Ghana, in May 2022. This designation followed the expression of interest by the Congolese authorities and a technical evaluation mission to Brazzaville in April 2021.
"It is with genuine pride and a deep sense of responsibility that the Republic of Congo is preparing to host the African Development Bank's next Annual Meetings. This symbolic choice illustrates the strength of the partnership that binds our country to the institution, while offering a special opportunity to showcase Congo's economic potential and development ambitions to the world," said Ludovic Ngatsé, Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, who is also the Bank's Governor for Congo. Minister Ngatsé was appointed Chair of the Board of Governors at the Bank's 2025 Annual Meetings.
The Bank delegation's mission, which took place from 18 to 20 June 2025, aimed to engage Congo's leadership on the significance of the Annual meetings, and to brief them on the role of the Chair of the Board of Governors. The delegation discussed key cooperation issues, including support for strengthening Congo's public debt management.
The delegation was received by Prime Minister, Anatole Collinet Makosso, Minister Ngatsé, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Congolese Abroad, Jean-Claude Gakosso. It also met Antoine Nkodia, advisor to the Minister of Finance, Budget and the Public Portfolio, and Emmanuel Clesh Atipo-Ngapy, Vice-Chair of the Brazzaville Municipal and Departmental Council.
During the various meetings, the delegation presented the stakes involved in organizing the 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, which will also be the first for the elected President of the Bank Group, Mr Sidi Ould Tah. The event requires the mobilization of significant resources -human, material and financial - as well as the crucial involvement of the host country's various ministries.
"The Annual Meetings represent a pivotal moment in the institutional calendar of the African Development Bank Group. "It is during these sessions that the Boards of Governors - the Bank and the African Development Fund's highest decision-making body - assess the institution's financial and operational performance over the past financial year."
The delegation also visited sites to assess the availability of the critical infrastructure required for hosting the Annual Meetings next year.
A springboard for showcasing the Republic of Congo's achievements
Beyond their institutional significance, the Annual Meetings offer a strategic platform for promoting the host country by highlighting the major reforms undertaken and the core infrastructure available.
In this context, the Bank delegation visited the construction site of the Brazzaville datacentre and expressed its satisfaction at the 90 per cent completion rate. The datacentre is part of the Congolese component of the Central African Fibre-Optic Backbone (CAB) project, with total financing of EUR 66.55 million, including EUR 52.47 million from the Bank and EUR 14.5 million from the Congolese government.
"We've made good progress on the datacentre. We've installed the major equipment, generators, transformers and voltage regulators. What remains to be finalized are the server rooms and the rest of the civil engineering," noted CAB project coordinator Michel Ngakala.
The datacentre is part of broader efforts to advance regional digital integration, having already enabled 600 kilometres of optical fibre infrastructure linking Congo with Cameroon and the Central African Republic via the Congo River. Bank officials noted that the facility could be a showcase achievement during the 2026 meetings, exemplifying the impact of Bank-country partnerships.
The Bank and the Congolese government reaffirmed their joint commitment to coordinating closely on all aspects of the event's organization, including infrastructure, logistics, and communications.
"In this respect, the Congolese government reaffirms its full commitment to working closely with the Bank's teams to ensure the success of this major event for the continent," Minister Ngatsé stated.
