Congo’s Quiet Power Play at Lomé’s Pan-African Congress

Brazzaville’s Calculated Engagement

When Lomé opens the 9th Pan-African Congress on 8 December, eyes will not only be on the host. Congo-Brazzaville, represented by Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso and several eminent scholars, sees the gathering as a chance to project constructive influence without the fanfare often attached to continental summits.

The Congolese delegation’s agenda, according to officials in Brazzaville, revolves around three axes: forest-climate diplomacy, conflict mediation and the promotion of francophone cultural capital. Each speaks to President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s long-term quest to diversify external partnerships while keeping Congo’s foreign posture non-confrontational.

Strategic Convergence with Lomé

Togo’s bid to emerge as a mediation hub dovetails with Brazzaville’s quieter but steady record in peacemaking, from the Inter-Congolese Dialogue of the early 2000s to more recent facilitation efforts in the Central African Republic. Congolese envoys see Lomé as an ally, not a competitor, in the crowded space of African conflict diplomacy.

A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that shared objectives—stability in the Sahel-Gulf of Guinea corridor and institutional reform at the African Union—allow the two coastal states to align positions without the turbulence larger powers often face.

Climate Leadership from the Congo Basin

With COP28 echoes still audible, Brazzaville intends to underscore the Congo Basin Climate Commission’s role as a continental instrument. The commission, chaired by President Sassou Nguesso since 2015, will hold a side event in Lomé highlighting blue-carbon financing and the monetisation of forest ecosystems.

By spotlighting the commission’s roadmap, Congo hopes to convert climate stewardship into diplomatic currency. Sources close to the delegation say Brazzaville will lobby for a Lomé declaration that anchors the basin’s rainforests at the core of future African climate negotiations, echoing the ‘One Forest’ vision advanced at the Brazzaville summit in 2023.

Intellectual Soft Power on Display

Beyond ministerial speeches, Congo’s strategy relies on intellectual diplomacy. Scholars from Marien Ngouabi University and the pan-African think-tank CERDOTOLA are scheduled to debate currency sovereignty and digital governance alongside figures such as Samia Nkrumah and Kako Nubukpo.

The presence of Congolese economists in panels dominated by West African voices is designed to reposition Brazzaville as a knowledge producer rather than a policy taker. In the words of a university dean, ‘our soft power begins in lecture halls and ends in negotiating rooms’. The approach resonates with younger Congolese professionals eager to see their country participate in shaping continental narratives.

Economic Diplomacy and Corridor Politics

Privately, Congolese negotiators view the congress as a venue to court investors for the Atlantic Railway Corridor linking Pointe-Noire to Ouesso and onward to Cameroon. The project, aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area, promises to integrate Congo more deeply into West-Central trade flows.

Officials hope parallel meetings in Lomé will attract Togolese port operators and regional development banks. ‘Infrastructure is our practical pan-Africanism,’ a member of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce asserts, suggesting that symbolism must translate into freight volumes and job creation.

Mediation Portfolio: From Great Lakes to Sahel

Lomé’s reputation as an honest broker reinforces Brazzaville’s desire to expand its mediation portfolio. Recent discreet contacts between Congolese envoys and juntas in Niger and Mali indicate an interest in lending support to ECOWAS-led transition frameworks while avoiding public confrontation.

Such back-channel diplomacy mirrors Congo’s earlier role in the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, where subtle engagement often proved more effective than headline-grabbing initiatives. Delegates plan to share lessons from these experiences during closed-door workshops at the congress.

Balancing Global Partnerships

Congo’s engagement in Lomé also highlights its balanced foreign policy. While maintaining traditional ties with France and multilateral lenders, Brazzaville increasingly courts emerging partners. Chinese and Emirati representatives have been invited to the delegation’s receptions, underscoring diversified outreach without tilting decisively toward any single bloc.

Analysts in Brazzaville argue that such hedging secures room to manoeuvre on debt restructuring and energy investment, issues likely to surface informally on the sidelines of the congress.

Security Convergence in the Gulf of Guinea

Piracy incidents have shifted northward, yet Brazzaville insists that maritime security remains a collective responsibility. The delegation aims to use Lomé—a city that hosted the 2016 African maritime summit—to revive the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Safety.

By aligning with Togo’s own maritime initiatives, Congo hopes to strengthen intelligence sharing and joint naval drills, a move welcomed by oil majors operating off Pointe-Noire who seek reassurance against evolving threats.

Civil Society and Diaspora Voices

An innovation in this ninth edition is the formal inclusion of diaspora influencers and start-ups. Congolese youth associations in Paris and Montréal have secured speaking slots on digital identity and cultural entrepreneurship, signalling a broader embrace of non-state actors.

Such participation complements official channels, offering a modernised image of the country. ‘Diaspora engagement is no longer ceremonial; it is strategic,’ a presidential adviser says, pointing to remittances and tech skills as under-leveraged assets.

What to Watch After Lomé

Diplomats will monitor whether the congress yields concrete follow-ups: a joint Lomé-Brazzaville roadmap on climate finance, memoranda on the Atlantic Railway, or a revived maritime security action plan. Even absent grandiose announcements, the soft alignments cultivated can enhance Congo’s regional profile.

Ultimately, Brazzaville measures success by incremental gains—new partnerships, greater agenda-setting capacity and an acknowledgment that a mid-sized Central African state can still shape continental outcomes through calibrated, constructive engagement.