Paul Valentin Ngobo has been Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries since May 2021. While agriculture in the broadest sense is one of the 6 priorities of the 2022-2026 National Development Plan, Paul Valentin Ngobo must act for food security, contribute to job creation in the agricultural sector and food safety.
Born in Fort Rousset, now Owando, on October 3, 1970, Paul Valentin Ngobo has been a university professor since 2014. A qualified teacher of Management Sciences since 2001, he was -until his appointment in 2021- a professor at Paris Dauphine University.
This academic was already well-known to agricultural stakeholders through his project: the Congo Agricultural Incubator (IAC). A professor of management sciences, Paul Valentin Ngobo has made agricultural mechanization one of his priorities, aiming to make Congo one of the leading agricultural powers in Central Africa. Known for his tenacity, he is committed to making the agricultural sector attractive to young people by establishing incubators, a source of employment and income.
Paul Valentin Ngobo's mission is to establish protected agricultural zones (PAZs) in the country's twelve departments to reverse the country's massive reliance on agricultural imports. The government of the Republic of Congo imports over 700 billion CFA francs worth of food products, a testament to the country's low domestic productivity due to its insufficient level of agro-industrialization. Agricultural development aims to create conditions for food security, reduce imports, and lower the unemployment rate from over 113,000 to 61,000 through job creation.
To establish the ZAPs (Agricultural Priority Zones), the Ministry of Agriculture grants agricultural groups hectares of prepared land, housing and storage facilities, and equipment. Since September 2021, the launch period, the State has been purchasing the harvests from these groups. The strategy, deployed across crop production, livestock farming, and even fish farming, is thus beginning to yield results.
The ministry's actions are linked to food security, import reduction, and economic diversification. The challenge will certainly be met, given the enormous potential of this sector in Congo.
Paul Valentin Ngobo emphasizes the importance of promoting sustainable agricultural practices that complement development in the country's fish farming sector. By encouraging organic food production, he aims to meet the growing consumer demand for healthy products while creating new economic opportunities for farmers. Organic agriculture also offers significant environmental benefits, promoting water conservation, preserving soil fertility, and reducing erosion. The minister supports training young people in organic agriculture, which will strengthen Congo's capacity to produce healthy food.
According to the latest monitoring report on the economic and financial situation of the Republic of Congo, published by the World Bank, by protecting its population and the vital agricultural sector from the effects of climate change, Congo will also promote the building of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive economy.