Public financial management is an important topic for any government, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is no exception. A bill aimed at modifying and supplementing Law No. 11/011 of July 13, 2011 on public finances was passed unanimously during a plenary session at the National Assembly. The text had been examined article by article, and the new version brings in particular modifications to matters relating to the budgetary orientation debate, to allocations, to budgetary documentation, to the deadline for the changeover and to the annual parliamentary follow-up of the implementation program budget reform.
Since July 2011, the DRC had adopted results-based budget management, in particular through the introduction of program budgets. However, it had set the legal deadline for switching to the program budget at 1 January 2019, which had proved unsustainable given the scale and complexity of the reform actions to be implemented. A moratorium of five years had therefore been granted to allow the executive to fulfill the conditions for moving from an average budget to a program budget.
The new deadline for the changeover being set for next January 1, the Congolese government has adopted a roadmap for the 2022-2024 program budget to prepare for this changeover. There is still a significant need for capacity building of sector ministries and institutions in the preparation and execution of the budget in program mode. Consequently, the government presented to the National Assembly a draft law revising Law No. 11/011 of July 13, 2011, with a view to readjusting the changeover from budgeting to program mode.
The modification to the old law relating to public finances concerned 23 articles and brings important modifications for a more efficient and transparent management of public accounts. Despite the urgency, the text was put to the vote without debate. It will be sent to the Senate for a second reading before its promulgation by the President of the Republic.
The new law on public finances is an important step in the pursuit of the modernization of the management of public finances to support the development of the DRC. It is therefore essential that the measures provided for by this law be quickly implemented to provide increased transparency in the management of public finances and contribute to the achievement of the development objectives of the DRC.