While the issue of promoting local governance is at the heart of the international symposium held from June 12 to 13 at the University of Lubumbashi, state reform and the quality of provincial elected officials were also at the center discussions. Eminent professors from different provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo have formulated proposals for the proper implementation of political and administrative governance at the local level. These resolutions will be presented to the highest institutions of the country: to the President of the Republic, to the speakers of two chambers of Parliament and to the Prime Minister.
The Minister of Industry and former Governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku Kahongya, advocated the adaptation of the constitution to the real realities on the ground for the proper implementation of decentralization which augurs the emergence of the DRC. According to him, the constitution, the central power, political actors and subjective causes are the main causes of instability at the provincial level in the DRC.
For his part, the first vice-president of the National Assembly, André Mbata Mangu, stressed the importance of the quality of provincial elected officials in promoting local governance. He regretted their lack of proposals for edicts and believes that this colloquium fills a void.
The question of local governance is a crucial subject in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reforms at the political and administrative level can play a decisive role in promoting the economic and social development of the provinces. Let’s hope that these resolutions will make it possible to move forward on the path to stabilization and prosperity for all Congolese.