Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya

Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya
Jean-Marc Thystère-Tchicaya in 2017
Minister of Special Economic Zones and Economic Diversification
PresidentDenis Sassou Nguesso
Prime MinisterAnatole Collinet Makosso
Preceded byÉmile Ouosso [fr]
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 September 2022
Minister of Transports, Civil Aviation, and Merchant Navy
In office
15 May 2021 – 24 September 2022
PresidentDenis Sassou-Nguesso
Prime MinisterAnatole Collinet Makosso
Preceded byIngrid Ebouka-Babackas
Succeeded byHonoré Sayi [fr]
Minister of Hydrocarbons
In office
20 August 2015 – 15 May 2021
PresidentDenis Sassou-Nguesso
Prime MinisterAnatole Collinet Makosso
Preceded byAndré-Raphaël Loemba
Succeeded byBruno Itoua
Deputy of 1st Constituency of Mvoumvou [fr]
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 September 2012
Personal details
Born (1964-04-11) 11 April 1964 (age 60)
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France
NationalityRepublic of the Congo
Political partyRally for Democracy and Social Progress
ParentJean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya

Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya (born 11 April 1964) is a Congolese politician. He is the Minister of Special Economic Zones and Economic Diversification since September 2022. Before that, he was the Minister of Transports, Civil Aviation, and Merchant Navy (2021–2022), and the Minister of Hydrocarbons (2015–2021).

As a member of the Rally for Democracy and Social Progress, which he is the president of since May 2015, he is also the deputy of the first constituency of Mvoumvou [fr] (Pointe-Noire) since September 2012.

Biography

Early life and education

Son of politician Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya, who served as the former mayor of Pointe-Noire and president of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo, Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya was born on 11 April 1964 at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Val-de-Marne, France. He completed his secondary education in France at l'École supérieure des techniciens en électronique et informatique as well as at Pigier [fr], where he got a degree as a software engineer in management computing [Wikidata].[1]

Professional career

Starting from 1989, Thystère Tchicaya worked at Bull France.[1] In 1997, he came to the Congo and began to work at Elf Congo as a computer scientist. Later, he worked for Total E&P Congo, where he directed the communication department as well as the department of relations with high institutions of the Republic of the Congo. In addition, he was also the president of the Fédération Pétrole as well as the vice president of the Union patronale et interprofessionelle du Congo (Uni Congo). Furthermore, he was a member of the consultative committee of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.[1]

Political career

Deputy of Mvoumvou

As a member of the Rally for Democracy and Social Progress (RDPS), a party created by his father and which belonged to the presidential majority, Thystère Tchicaya was elected as the deputy of the first constituency of Mvoumvou (Pointe-Noire) in the first round of the 2012 Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, with 62.52% of votes.[2] He took power on September 5,[3] replacing Fatou Sauthat Loember.[4]

During the 2017 Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, he was re-elected deputy of Mvoumvou in the first round.[5]

Ministerial functions

On 23 May 2015, Thystère Tchicaya was elected as the head of his party, the RDPS.[6] Amidst a cabinet reshuffle a few months later, he entered the fourth Sassou-Nguesso government [fr] as Minister of Hydrocarbons, succeeding André-Raphaël Loemba. The transfer of power was on 20 August 2015.[1]

In 2021, following the re-election of President Denis Sassou-Nguesso for a fourth term, Thystère Tchicaya was named Minister of Transports, Civil Aviation, and Merchant Navy within Anatole Collinet Makosso's government (led by Anatole Collinet Makosso). He succeeded Ingrid Ebouka-Babackas.[7]

During another cabinet reshuffle, Thystère Tchicaya became the Minister of Special Economic Zones and Economic Diversification on 27 September 2022, succeeding Émile Ouosso [fr],[8] and leaving the position of Minister of Transports to Honoré Sayi [fr].[9]

Controversies

In July 2018, Thystère Tchicaya, then Minister of Hydrocarbons, was accused by Lamyr Nguélé, president of the National Commission for the Fight Against Corruption. These accusations claimed misappropriation of public funds [Wikidata] on the order of 2 billion CFA francs between 2015 and 2017. To defend himself, Thystère Tchicaya thus addressed a letter to Prime Minister Clément Mouamba. For many foreign observers, as well as for the members of the PCT and RDPS, these accusations were seen as a political maneuver. They suspected that the minister had held ambitions for running in the 2021 Republic of the Congo presidential election.[10]

The majority and the government officially gave their support to the minister, denouncing the Commission's lack of independence.[11] Later on, in September 2018, a law was enacted to replace this Commission by a High Authority of the Fight Against Corruption, which was thought to be more independent.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mabonzo, Hugues Prosper (31 August 2015). "Portrait : Jean Marc Thystère-Tchicaya, nouveau ministre des hydrocarbures" [Portrait: Jean Marc Thystère-Tchicaya, new minister of hydrocarbons]. Agence d'Information d'Afrique Centrale (in French). Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Résultats du premier tour des élections législatives 2012" [Results of the first round of the 2012 legislative elections]. La Semaine Africaine (in French). 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  3. ^ Yabbat-Ngo, Cyr Armel (7 September 2012). "Session inaugurale de la 13ème législature de l'assemblée nationale : Sans surprise, Justin Koumba de nouveau au perchoir" [Inaugural session of the 13th legislature of the national assembly: Without surprise, Justin Koumba is again on the perch]. La Semaine Africaine (in French). Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Arrêté n° 10644 du 4 septembre 2012" [Decree n° 10644 of 4 September 2012] (PDF). Journal Officiel de la République du Congo (in French) (37): 775. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Congo - Législatives 2017 : le Parti congolais du travail (PCT) en tête du premier tour" [Congo - Legislatives 2017: The Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) on the head of the first round]. Ici Brazza (in French). 22 September 2017. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Congo-B: le RDPS aura un candidat à la présidentielle de 2016" [Congo-B: the RDPS will have a candidate at the presidential of 2016]. RFI (in French). 24 May 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Exécutif: la composition du nouveau gouvernement" [Executive: the composition of the new government]. Agence d'Information d'Afrique Centrale (in French). 16 May 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  8. ^ Loukoula, Josiane Mambou (28 September 2022). "Zones économiques spéciales : Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya prend les rênes du ministère" [Special economic zones: Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya takes the reins of minister]. Agence d'Information d'Afrique Centrale (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  9. ^ Caslin, Olivier (26 September 2022). "Congo : autour d'Anatole Collinet Makosso, un gouvernement retouché plus que remanié" [Congo: around Anatole Collinet Makosso, a government more retouched than reworked]. Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Congo-Brazzaville: le ministre des Hydrocarbures dans la tourmente" [Congo-Brazzaville: the Minister of Hydrocarbons in torment]. RFI (in French). 4 August 2018. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  11. ^ "Congo-B.: la commission de lutte contre la corruption défend son indépendance" [Congo-B.: the Commission of the Fight Against Corruption defends its independence]. RFI (in French). 30 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Le Congo se dote d'une nouvelle institution de lutte contre la corruption" [The Congo gets a new institution of fighting against corruption]. french.china.org.cn (in French). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 2023-08-23.