The evolution of the implementation of the Local Development Program of the 145 Territories (PDL-145T) was at the center of the concerns raised by the senators, during the last session before the Commission Relations with the provinces and the ETDs of the Senate, Monday, June 5. The Minister of State and Minister of Planning, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, presented a detailed report on the progress of this program initiated by the Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, which aims to reduce spatial inequalities between rural and urban settings.
Despite some obstacles encountered on the ground, the boss of the Plan reassured the senators by showing them, through a video projected on the screen, that the work is progressing normally and that the first deliverables will be ready in July. “It’s out of the question for us just to have the white elephants with unfinished buildings that are not made available to the beneficiaries who are the communities,” she said.
During this parliamentary exercise, the Minister of State also praised the quality of the exchanges with the senators, the people’s representatives, which enabled her entire team to soak up the realities experienced on the ground, to readjust and find quick solutions for speeding up and completing various programs, mainly PDL-145T.
Françoise Bemba, President of the Commission for Relations with the Provinces and the ETDS, urged the acceleration of the work in order to meet the expectations of the population, who expect a lot from this project. Judith Suminwa, for her part, gave the members of this commission detailed documents on the Local Development Program of the 145 Territories.
This project goes far beyond a simple question of territorial development, it makes it possible to move towards a better redistribution of wealth and to offer all the municipalities the same chances of development. Reducing spatial inequalities between rural and urban areas could well help to strengthen national unity and pacify these territories, which have suffered from poverty and neglect for too long. The success of the PDL-145T remains crucial for the development of the DRC and for the well-being of its population