On 6 November 2024, Kinshasa was the scene of a major event in the field of financial governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Indeed, the Financial Governance Support Project led by the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel, held its first Steering Committee (COPIL) meeting.
The meeting brought together various key figures, including the Secretary General of the Ministry of Budget and Project Manager Nke Sana Moko Pierrot, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, the Executive Secretary of COREF, Enabel’s Program Manager in Kinshasa and Vice-President of COPIL Lies Vanmullem, among other important stakeholders.
Gilles Oddos, Financial Governance Project Manager at Enabel, stressed the crucial importance of this COPIL. This first meeting marked the beginning of a close collaboration between all the partners involved, including COREF and the Ministries of Finance and Budget. The project, funded by Enabel to the tune of USD 11,600,000, aims to improve the management of financial resources for the well-being of the Congolese population.
Nke Sana Moko Pierrot, Secretary General for the Budget, recalled the commitment made between the DRC and the Kingdom of Belgium to ensure effective and efficient use of financial resources. The objective of the meeting was to strengthen the Steering Committee and mobilize everyone’s support for the implementation of the recommendations.
At the heart of the discussions, the work agenda for the implementation of the internal regulations of the Steering Committee was examined. In terms of planning for the coming years, measures such as a campaign to promote tax civic-mindedness, training of pilot ministries for program budgets, support for the decentralization of the ordering and the revision of the legal framework for PPPs were identified.
However, the Steering Committee will have to address significant challenges, such as managing multiple institutional partners, changing priorities in the reform of Public Finance Management and the difficulty in mobilising Belgian public expertise in the face of the project’s time constraints.
In short, the Enabel Steering Committee meeting in Kinshasa laid the foundations for fruitful collaboration and concerted action to strengthen financial governance in the DRC. This project, which brings hope and commitment, paves the way for crucial reforms for the country’s economic and social development.