The economist-political scientist, Serge Maabe Muanyimi, said the DR Congo urgently needs a National Strategy Agency. The latter will have the mission to work to improve its reflected and reflected image. He made this recommendation at the end of the conference-debate organized on June 15, 2019, by the Think Thank « ISHANGO ». It was in the showbuzz room in Kinshasa.

Indeed, the sub-theme developed by this speaker focused on « the state strategist. To situate where the Congolese state is, Serge Maabe spoke about the ranking of the IFRI 2018 which aligns the DRC to the second rank in the list of « failed states ».

This is due in part to the quality of governance and the lack of a national strategy which also leads to the low appeal of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which reached a level of 282 million in 2017, where Mexico attracted 5, 019 billions of US dollars.

« The strategist state for us is a state that transcends, that goes beyond the short-term to embrace a long-term vision. It is a state based on inclusive institutions, on a strategic vision of its future. You have to have a strategy agency like the other states do. Not strategies that are standard-standards emanating from international organizations. But strategies that emerge from the vision of the sons and daughters of the DRC », said Serge Maabe.

As a result, it is necessary for the Congolese intellectual elite to reflect on the future of their country in the long term. This will lead to the definition of appropriate strategies, which will be the DRC to be considered by others as a strategist state, that is to say, respectable.

In other words, the DRC must be built on its identity, on its culture, on its moral resources, on its scientific and educational resources, … so that it is in the future a competitive country against the states of the sub -region, continent and world.

To the speaker added: « the state strategist must rely essentially on a paradigm of intelligence. Because we have found that the current new techno-economic paradigm is based on activities with increasing returns and not on activities with decreasing returns such as the exploitation of natural resources that are exhaustible. Thus, the activities with increasing yield must be valued by the state so that its viability in the long term remains perennial. « 

Referring to the characteristics of a strategist state, he cited the clear vision on national policy, investment in activities with increasing returns, the wealth-power association, the administration built to strengthen the State Authority , coaching and promoting entrepreneurship, long-term work.

« As the springs of a strategic state, there is the human capital, the quality of social services, the moral resources, the need to work on the brand image. Collective emotions can be used to cement culture for other states to respect », said Serge Maabe.

This masterful event of knowledge was attended by more than a hundred Congolese intellectuals and the debate was simply high.

As a reminder, ISHANGO is an association created at the initiative of some Congolese intellectuals. It is a Think Tank whose main objective is to promote the emergence of a Knowledge Society in the DRC as a response to the problem of underdevelopment, in a world in profound change.

This initiative also aims to contribute to building a society of excellence in all areas of national life to build a consensual project on the collective future. This, beyond any political cleavage.

ISHANGO’s motto is to educate or perish.

Eric TSHIKUMA