Civil service reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo: significant progress in two years
Since the arrival of the Sama Lukonde Government two years ago, the Democratic Republic of Congo has undertaken significant reforms in the civil service. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Civil Service, Jean-Pierre Lihau, during a recent briefing, more than 135,000 civil servants have been registered in the payroll file, compared to only 10,000 over the last 20 years. These figures demonstrate a real desire to modernize and optimize the Congolese public administration.
One of the first measures taken was the biometric process, which made it possible to identify and digitize 700,000 public administration agents and civil servants. This approach made it possible to reduce the number of staff by almost 50%, while guaranteeing each employee a biometric identification card. In addition, the organic structures of all administrations were reviewed and the practice of appointments by “UN alignment” was formally prohibited, thus promoting access to the civil service through competitions based on merit.
Pension reform was also a major focus of the work accomplished. Thanks to measures aimed at streamlining retirements, 10,900 civil servants retired over the past year, with another 10,000 expected by the end of the year. End-of-career benefits have been improved and efforts have been made to improve small pensions. The Deputy Prime Minister also declared that the President of the Republic had requested a significant increase in these pensions, from 300 to 1000%. In addition, a contributory system was established to guarantee the sustainability of the retirement system.
Other priorities for public administration reform include the dematerialization of administrative procedures, the revision of the legal framework for the civil service and the promotion of gender equality. The Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, stressed the importance of these reforms to rebuild the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In conclusion, the reforms undertaken in the civil service in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the last two years have enabled significant progress. The modernization of public administration, the reduction of staff numbers and the improvement of retirement conditions are all measures which aim to create a more efficient and transparent administration, at the service of Congolese citizens.