The town planning ministers of the two countries have just started discussions on a draft memorandum of understanding on land use planning, sanitation and housing. The two parties, focusing on the sharing of experiences, are called upon to face the main challenges, namely the harmonization of the agreement and its popularization, as well as the mobilization of funding.
As part of the ministerial consultations between the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR) held in Brazzaville on September 18, the Congolese Minister of Construction, Urbanism and Housing, Josué Rodrigue Ngouonimba , and his Central African counterpart in Urban Planning, the City and Housing, Gina Lawson Roosalem, discussed the draft of a memorandum of understanding.
The future cooperation agreement should, according to the two parties, contribute to the development of joint urban projects in the main Central African and Congolese towns, particularly in border towns in order to preserve good neighborly relations. It should also facilitate multilateral exchanges of experiences to be solicited by one of them and the support necessary for the success of state projects selected in the interest of the two neighboring countries.
Better, the two parties undertake to develop and present to both state projects that contribute to improving the living conditions of populations, sanitation, and urban roads, the cadastral system … The Congo-RCA cooperation agreement in the area of urban development is only at the stage of intention, since after the meeting in Brazzaville the parties will still meet to try to deepen the draft memorandum of understanding.
The first challenge is to harmonize the text taking into account the realities of each of the two countries. It is clear that states do not have the same problems in the area of land use planning, sanitation in cities and neighborhoods, as well as in the area of housing. For a few years now, the Republic of the Congo has undertaken urban projects that it wishes to expand, while its neighbor must initiate projects and think about developing them.
The second challenge is that of mobilizing financial resources in order to materialize state projects. The two countries which are struggling to raise internal resources because of numerous crises must seek funding from international partners. In the current context, experts insist on innovative financing for ecological and sustainable cities. These are the redirection of subsidies allocated to fossil fuels, the taxation of financial transactions and the fair taxation of international transport. And the third challenge is that of the support of the respective populations in urban development and sanitation projects in cities.
Central African Minister Gina Lawson Roosalem has been reassuring about the success of the joint initiative. “The interview with my Congolese counterpart helped lay the foundations for cooperation in this area of urban development and housing. The draft memorandum precisely fixes the areas of cooperation on which the two parties intend to work, ”she added.
