The 9th Games of La Francophonie, which took place recently in Kinshasa, sparked intense controversy due to the extraordinary expenses incurred by the Congolese state. While the initial budget was set at $48 million, the authorities made the decision to take advantage of this event to build and rehabilitate sports infrastructure, resulting in total expenditure of $324 million.
This budget surplus was mainly attributed to delays in the delivery of infrastructure and pressure to finalize the works within the stipulated deadlines. The initial budgets were multiplied by three, which aroused the anger of the Congolese Minister of Finance, who denounced poor management on the part of the Congolese organizers.
Responsibility was mainly attributed to Isidore Kwandjia, director of the National Games Committee, who allegedly made unilateral decisions to increase budgets without the approval of the steering committee. The Finance Minister also criticized the recruitment of beneficiaries without having the necessary budgetary provision, leading to planning errors and additional expenditure.
Despite these difficulties, Nicolas Kazadi, the Minister of Finance, welcomes the infrastructure that was built during these games, which will now be able to host other major sporting competitions. However, he calls for lessons to be learned from this experience and to avoid excessive inflation of budgets in the future, by promoting rigorous management and controlled spending.
In conclusion, the 9th Games of the Francophonie in Kinshasa were marked by excessive spending which had a negative impact on the finances of the Congolese state. It is essential to learn from these mistakes and adopt a more responsible approach in organizing such events in the future, to ensure more efficient and transparent financial management.