(Brazzaville) – The government of Congo-Brazzaville has grounded its ministers until the end of the year in a move that likely ruined many ministers’ plans for exotic, all expenses paid trips abroad. The ministers, who perhaps had their eyes on first class flights, five star hotels, and “official” missions in far off lands, will have to settle for the comforts of their own country. Or, as Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso’s circular elegantly puts it, they’ll be participating in meetings “via video conference.” Welcome to the Zoom life, honorable ministers!
The travel ban is quite the party spoiler for senior officials who have become accustomed to jetting off at the taxpayer’s expense. According to the circular, the president, of course, is exempt from this ban—because what’s a government without its president globe trotting while the rest of the team sits home sipping cold tea? The reasoning for this sudden austerity? Well, Congo-Brazzaville’s bank account is apparently looking emptier than a Ugandan’s wallet after a night out at a Kampala nightclub.
It seems the Congolese government has finally come to grips with a little thing we in Uganda call “Sente Tewava Musege” (money doesn’t grow on trees). The state is experiencing “cash flow tensions,” which is a fancy way of saying they are broke and can’t afford to keep funding these luxury trips. But don’t worry, the ministers can still join video conferences, assuming their internet is working, which—judging by the frequent power cuts in Brazzaville—might be a challenge.
A government insider, who no doubt has had to start packing their own lunch to work, admitted that parts of Congo’s economy are “in the red,” which might be the understatement of the year. Sections of the economy? Try the whole thing! To make matters worse, half of Congo’s population is living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
Speaking of sinking, Brazzaville’s streets have been piling up with rubbish, thanks to a strike by refuse collectors. They haven’t been paid, of course. It’s like the whole country has joined a slow moving, silent protest against non-payment. Power cuts have also become the new normal in the capital. Some electricity pylons have been damaged, but no one seems to know who did it.
While the ministers are likely grumbling about missing their trips to foreign conferences in Paris and Dubai, the country’s budget for 2024 has been revised down from six billion euros in 2020 to just four billion. That’s a whole two billion euros less to play with. It’s like promising your children a feast and then serving them dry cassava and beans. The government will now have to manage its expenses more tightly, which might mean fewer steak dinners and more beans on the menu.
And while the ordinary people in Congo-Brazzaville continue to live their lives in the dark—both literally and figuratively—the ministers will be forced to make do without their fancy trips abroad. Maybe it’s time they experience what it’s like for the regular folks who haven’t had a state funded holiday, ever.
