Title: The Francophonie Games in the DRC: a controversy surrounding the budget
Introduction :
The Francophonie Games, a major sporting and cultural event, have recently been at the center of a controversy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi said the budget for organizing the games had exceeded initial forecasts, resulting in an overspend of USD 276 million. However, the national director of the Games committee, Isidore Kwandja, strongly disputed these allegations. A look back at this controversy which highlights the financial issues surrounding the organization of such an event.
The Minister of Finance points out the budget overrun:
During a press conference, the Minister of Finance of the DRC, Nicolas Kazadi, accused the general director of the Francophone Games of having increased the budget items without the approval of the steering committee. According to him, the initial budget of 48 million USD would have been exceeded to reach the sum of 324 million USD. Capital expenditure would have increased from 36 to 246 million USD, while the operations budget would have increased from 12 to 78 million USD.
The response from the national director of the Francophonie Games:
Isidore Kwandja, national director of the organizing committee of the Francophonie Games, quickly reacted to the Minister of Finance’s accusations. On his Twitter account, he questioned the minister’s revelations and recalled that the budget adopted by the steering committee was 66.9 million euros, a sum which has not yet been fully collected. He also pointed out that the Minister of Finance himself was part of the steering committee, thus calling into question his allegations.
Disputed expenditure management:
The National Committee for the Games of La Francophonie published a press release to defend its management of expenses. He affirmed that the Financial Brigade of the General Inspectorate of Finance had supported and controlled the committee’s expenses since the start of the organization of the games. The press release highlights the confusion created by the Minister of Finance by mixing the funds allocated to the games directorate and those allocated to the Ministry of Infrastructure, which was responsible for the construction of infrastructure. He thus underlines that the budget overrun denounced by the minister does not concern expenses under the responsibility of the committee.
The consequences for service providers:
Until this controversy is resolved, many service providers who participated in the Francophonie Games have still not been paid. This situation raises concerns about the DRC’s reputation for honoring financial agreements and risks jeopardizing relationships with suppliers and service providers in the future..
Conclusion :
The controversy surrounding the budget for the Games of La Francophonie in the DRC highlights the financial issues and questions of transparency surrounding the organization of an event of such scale. While the Minister of Finance points to a budget overrun, the national director of the Francophonie Games firmly contests these allegations and highlights the rigorous management of expenses carried out by the committee. While awaiting clarification on this matter, service providers are still waiting to be paid, raising concerns about the image and financial credibility of the DRC.