Elected officials, yes—but the working conditions? Hmm...

By Sofia VANDENBROECK | LNC
Translation into English by Susan CARTER-JONES l LNC

(Bangui, September 11, 2026 | LAMINE MÉDIA) It is all well and good to elect mayors and councilors across the country, but it is better still to equip them with the necessary resources—ranging from office furniture to the premises themselves. Faced with this lack of logistical support, elected officials are calling on the government to take action. The Bégoua town hall stands as a symbol of the logistical crisis affecting Central African municipalities: infrastructure inherited from the past that struggles to accommodate the growing numbElected officials, yes—but the working conditions? Hmm...er of newly elected local officials. The premises are simply too small for these new ambitions. This is strikingly evident in Bégoua, where the four deputy mayors share a single office—an untenable situation for day-to-day operations. Edmond Christophe Dembia, the First Deputy Mayor, explains: "We inherited this town hall from a special delegation that, at the time, had very little staff—fewer than ten people in total. Today, however, there are more than 15 of us elected officials. That means the building simply cannot hold us all." The situation is even worse at the town hall of Bangui’s 4th Arrondissement. The former mayor—who has since become a sub-prefect—still occupies the mayor's office, yet lacks the necessary equipment. As for the municipal councilors, they are forced to work all together, crammed into a small room. Christine Zangouli, a municipal councilor, puts it bluntly: "If the offices belong to the town hall, the staff should be occupying them to do their work. But if these councilors haveElected officials, yes—but the working conditions? Hmm... no space, the work loses its meaning. I therefore call on the government to upgrade these facilities, so that we can offer better working conditions—both in Bangui and across the country." In Bangui, as well as in the interior of the country, many municipalities are paralyzed as a result. However, according to Bruno Yapandé, Minister of Territorial Administration, the government promises to respond by providing the necessary equipment: "Municipalities have always existed. We are going to undertake a major reorganization of the resource mobilization system; this process is already underway." In the meantime, newly elected municipal officials must make do with the limited resources at their disposal to try to fulfill their duties to the population.

For: LAMINE MEDIA
Website: laminemedia.com (in FR and GB)
Date: September 11, 2026
Copyright ©: 2013–2026 All rights reserved: LAMINE MEDIA

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