DRC: Eric Tshikuma calls for an annual grant to support UNPC reforms

National deputy Eric Tshikuma defended certain needs that he considers to be priorities and which must be included in the draft budget for fiscal year 2025. This was during the general debate that led to the admissibility of the 2025 Finance Bill by the National Assembly.

Among the priorities mentioned by this elected representative of Funa are the UNPC subsidy, the urgent needs of his Funa constituency, and the need to mobilize the resources required to provide the police with adequate equipment.

In short, he is sticking to a budget that will provide real solutions to the day-to-day challenges faced by the Congolese people.

Firstly, a subsidy for the UNPC

As a journalist and media manager, Eric Tshikuma recalls the importance of the recommendations of the États généraux de la Communication et des Médias in 2022.

At that time, the President of the Republic invited the Government to support the reform process of the Union Nationale de la Presse du Congo (UNPC) following its Congress.

National deputy Eric Tshikuma believes that this structure needs an annual subsidy, to ensure its smooth running and the implementation of reforms to clean up the media landscape.

Secondly, the priority needs of his constituency of Funa in Kinshasa.

Concerned about his base, he points out that in
a budget of 49,846.8 billion CDF, up 21.6% on the previous year, it’s only natural to think about strengthening public security.

National deputy Eric Tshikuma highlights the specific and urgent issues facing the people of Kinshasa, and particularly those of Funa, his electoral district. These concerns include issues of public safety, the lack of equipment and means of mobility for the police, and the shortage of staff in police stations and sub-stations. In addition, he insists on the fight against erosion heads, the cleaning up of rivers – notably Ndjili, Kalamu and Makelele – and the drainage of gutters.

Thirdly, mobilize the necessary resources to provide the police with equipment.

Against the backdrop of a significant increase in investment appropriations in this draft budget, rising from 15.1% in 2024 to 48.4% in 2025, and a 25.2% rise in security spending, Eric Tshikuma notes the need for the Government to mobilize the necessary resources to provide the police with equipment and mobility. This will solve the problem of understaffing and improve working conditions for officers in police stations and sub-stations, including his base in Funa. He also recommends the allocation of funds to local security committees to ensure their proper functioning.

As far as erosion control is concerned, the elected representative of Funa is calling for sufficient funding to enable the relevant departments – such as OVD and OR – to become fully involved.

“The central government must provide financial support to provinces such as Kinshasa, which has more than 300 erosion sites, a large proportion of which are in Funa (notably Selembao and Makala)”, he insists.

With regard to the cleaning of rivers – Ndjili, Kalamu, and Makelele – and the drainage of gutters in Kinshasa, including in Funa, MP Tshikuma felt that the funds provided for in the draft 2025 budget remain symbolic and largely insufficient to cover a regular annual cleaning plan.

“We recommended an increase in funding to enable government services to intervene upstream, and thus avoid the floods that are hitting the people of Kinshasa,” he explains.

Still in line with the day-to-day needs of the Congolese people, he turned his attention to the question of degraded routes and roads.

“We have suggested that certain impassable routes be included among the government’s priorities. These include the RN3 (Bukavu-Walikale- Kisangani), Avenue de Libération (Bambole-Prison centrale de Makala-Marché de Selembao), and Avenue du Tourisme/Nzela ya mayi (Mimosas-Mont Ngaliema) in Kinshasa”, he declares.

National deputy Eric Tshikuma reassures us that he and his colleagues will be monitoring the progress of projects linked to the funds generated by the renegotiation of the Chinese contract.

In his capacity as a member of the Ecofin and Budgetary Control Commission, Eric Tshikuma intends to work actively with his colleagues to examine the 2025 Finance Bill in depth, with a view to making judicious improvements.

The Finance Bill 2025 was presented by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa. It is balanced in revenue and expenditure at 49,846.8 billion Congolese francs (CDF), an increase of 21.6% on the 2024 budget.

Nadine FULA