Strengthening governance and decentralization, peacebuilding, community resilience and security; development of productive sectors; modernization of basic infrastructure; social development and human capital development; and environmental protection and sustainable management of the living environment. These are the five priority axes of the enhanced cooperation between the World Bank and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the benefit of eight provinces grouped into two pools.

The series of technical meetings attended by provincial governors, ministers of finance and health, the Minister of State for Energy, the Governor of the Central Bank of Congo ended with a high-level session that brought together the Congolese Head of State and the President of the World Bank with their respective delegations.

Strategic orientations according to Fatshi

• From the outset, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi welcomed the World Bank’s willingness to support the eight priority provinces targeted on the basis of the poverty rate in order to achieve greater impact and support sustainable development in this new integrated approach to grassroots interventions (in line with the people’s vision first).

• He also informed the President of the World Bank that the priorities expressed by the provincial governors were in line with the action programmes of their respective governments adopted by the provincial assemblies.

• The President of the Republic then reiterated his Government’s commitment to finalize the framework of priorities for all eight provinces concerned and to finalize the legal instruments to be submitted to the Executive Board of the World Bank and the National Assembly during the current budget session.

• Regarding disbursement mechanisms, the Head of State called for more flexible procedures to facilitate the rapid implementation of projects. This was achieved by reaffirming his Government’s commitment to strengthen the capacity of the Provincial Directorates for Project Management and Procurement in the application of national procedures.

• Finally, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi recommended the effective involvement of the provinces and the establishment of steering committees under the authority of the Governors. Thus, two regional field offices have been set up for the East in Goma and for the centre of the country in Kananga with three steering committees (Ituri, North and South Kivu) and five steering committees (Central Kasai, Kasai, Eastern Kasai, Lomami and Kwilu) respectively. In his view, implementing units should be decentralized with autonomy at the level of each province.

The National Coordination (World Bank Country Office, the DRC Presidency and the Ministry of Finance), for its part, should provide just supervision and support for implementation.

Stressed the importance of transparency, accountability, & respect for the rule of law to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.

I assured President Tshisekedi that the @WorldBank Group will continue to assist the DRC in addressing Ebola & other pressing development issues. pic.twitter.com/02yKc79IE1

— David Malpass (@DavidMalpassWBG) September 30, 2019

For his part, World Bank President David Malpass reiterated his institution’s firm commitment to working with the Democratic Republic of Congo to address development issues as well as Ebola.

« In the coming months, we will support the Head of State on the issue of free basic education. And integrative projects will come to the World Bank’s Executive Board as well as budget support. We are also discussing with our IMF partners because we also want an acceptable macroeconomic framework, » said World Bank Group II Executive Director Jean-Claude Tchathouang.

Eric TSHIKUMA, Special Envoy