With the provisional acceptance, on Thursday, August 8, 2025, of the construction works for a jetty dedicated to artisanal fishing at the Pechval site in the Songolo neighborhood, an important milestone has been reached in the development of Pointe-Noire’s port infrastructure.
The related event was chaired by Séraphin BHALAT, Director General of the Port Authority of Pointe-Noire, in the presence of several key stakeholders in the project, including the Consul General of France, the representative of the French Development Agency (AFD), the Chief of Staff of the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and, of course, leaders of artisanal fishing associations.
The works for this jetty, carried out by the Eiffage/Socofran consortium, are part of the emergency phase of the port’s master development plan financed by the French Development Agency (AFD). According to Director General BHALAT, the aim of this plan was to relocate fishermen from the commercial port and create modern fishing infrastructure for both industrial and artisanal fishing. Implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the jetty, he emphasized, represents a strategic investment for the Port Authority of Pointe-Noire, committed to supporting artisanal fishing — a key contributor to food security and job creation, and a pillar of the national economy alongside industrial fishing, for which a dedicated port is under construction.
While thanking the AFD, the financial partner, he expressed full satisfaction that the works had been carried out according to the highest standards. According to Jean Jacques Joubert, the project’s supervising engineer, the jetty measures 186 meters in length and 6 meters in width. At its far end are two platforms, each 30 meters long, with three levels to allow pirogues to dock and fish to be unloaded. Designed to meet the needs of artisanal fishers, the jetty, located in close proximity to the fishing grounds, allows for the simultaneous berthing of around twenty “popoh”-type pirogues.
Highly pleased with the quality of the infrastructure, Véronique WAGNER, Consul General of France in Pointe-Noire, speaking on behalf of the AFD and the European Union, stated that “the construction of this facility is part of the compliance process for a much broader project, aimed at bringing the port up to environmental standards, in order to preserve fishery resources for the benefit of the Congolese population. It is also a tool and a mechanism to safeguard marine resources and to combat illicit and illegal fishing.”
Rodin Pascal ONGOKA, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, noted that through this jetty, the artisanal fishing community now has a modern and secure facility that will not only make docking easier for their boats, but also create a space conducive to related activities — thereby boosting the blue economy, improving working conditions, and enhancing the value of their catches. The artisanal fishers, through their association’s president, Idrissa INOUA, expressed their joy and gratitude for this facility, which they look forward to seeing fully operational, as it is expected to greatly reduce the risks associated with docking in this notoriously difficult-to-access area.
The provisional acceptance of this port infrastructure marks the end of construction works and the beginning of a testing and technical monitoring phase to verify the compliance and durability of the structure. The final acceptance will only be granted after this phase has been completed, ensuring the facility’s longevity and quality for its users.
With this new jetty, the Port Authority of Pointe-Noire reaffirms its commitment to modernizing and diversifying its infrastructure by fully integrating the needs of the artisanal sector into its overall port development strategy.
