On June 8, 2023, the Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP) inaugurated its Europe liaison office in Brussels, Belgium. This historic event brought together several personalities, including the Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Communication and Media and the Director General of the ACP, Bienvenu-Marie Bakumanya. For her part, the Director General of Radio Télévision Nationale Congolaise welcomed the opening of this office, which marks the agency’s return to the international arena.
The primary goal of this opening is to allow the ACP to be in direct contact with its partners and to be closer to its subscribers, but also to make the plural voice of the Democratic Republic of Congo heard on the international scene. and lobbying effectively. Indeed, other aggressors have already taken the European media by storm, so it is time to make the voice of the DRC heard.
The inaugurated liaison office is a pilot project which, if successful, could be duplicated in other European cities. However, the development of the ACP does not only depend on the opening of this new office, but also on the support of the Congolese authorities, who will have to provide adequate means for its continuity.
This ACP initiative is to be welcomed, as it will enable the collection, processing and dissemination of information at source, as seen and experienced by the Congolese themselves. Thus, information on the DRC will be more objective and authentic, and not biased by an outside view that does not always reflect the reality on the ground.
In short, the opening of the ACP’s Europe liaison office in Brussels is a rapid step forward for the place of the DRC on the international scene. This approach bears witness to the nation’s constant desire to make itself heard and to get involved in world events. The Congolese government will however have to continue to support the ACP to guarantee its continuity and development.