a difficult program to achieve – Indépendant an Congo

2024-06-15 13:37:07

We hope that the new chef – the new chef? – that the government and its staff will be able to “direct the nation’s policy” to bring the ambitious program to fruition. Widespread corruption and misappropriation of public funds will be obstacles. The new government is committed to creating 6.4 million jobs. These are private companies that create jobs. Can we have industries without electricity? There is currently a deficit in the energy supply. No major hydroelectric dams will be built in the next 5 years. What can we say about the bad business climate?

Gaston Mutamba Lucas

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka presented her government’s five-year program in a long 67-page speech, on the night of June 11 to 12, before the National Assembly. The inauguration has inspired real enthusiasm on the part of the population in total social disinheritance who hope that the Prime Minister will succeed in alleviating the multifaceted crisis that is affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She made a very good diagnosis of the ills that are dying in Congolese society. This is ultimately what everyone has been doing since the country’s independence in 1960. But there was no real political will to remedy the situation. Some believe that we should give Mrs. Judith Suminwa Tuluka the benefit of the doubt and wait to judge the government for its actions. We must hope, however, that he can enjoy the effectiveness of power to carry out his program. Widespread corruption and misappropriation of public funds will be obstacles. The same is true of security which is likely to be a concern for several years to come. You should know that jobs are created by private companies.

A very ambitious programme

The cost of the Government Action Program 2024 – 2028 is 277,066.2 billion CDF, or 92.9 billion USD for a period of five years, or an average annual cost of 55,413.2 billion CDF. It will be fully covered by state and non-state resources from the central government and the provinces as well as decentralized territorial entities. This cost is huge compared to the resources that the Congolese economy can generate. The government’s action program is structured in six pillars that are likely to accelerate the economic and social development of the country, in 56 strategic axes and in 326 actions, projects and reforms that will be implemented by the sector ministries. The six pillars are as follows: I. Building a diversified and competitive economy to create more jobs and protect the purchasing power of families; II. Protecting the national territory and securing people and their property; III. Developing the national territory for maximum connectivity; IV. Guarantee access to basic social services; V. To strengthen the capabilities of the Congolese to participate in the construction of the country; VI. Managing the DR Congo Ecosystem sustainably and responsibly against climate change.

In some ways, these policies appear to be a copy and paste of Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde’s government action program 2021-2023. His program planned to build a strong, successful and united State moving towards its development. It included 343 actions, selected based on their impact and visibility, some of which were considered priority and flagship. But in the end less than 5% of the planned actions were carried out.

The People’s Palace Bicycle

Unreal projects

According to the program, the government will take advantage of existing employment niches to create a total of 6.4 million jobs by 2028 through the six strategic axes. However, it is not possible to create that many jobs in five years even by integrating the informal sector into the official sector. Through this policy, the government plans to create 2.6 million jobs. Note that according to the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments (ANAPI), between 2019 and 2023, i.e. five years, more than 300 projects have been approved for the benefits of the Investment Code. The overall investment cost was $13 billion and only 37,738 jobs were to be created. It will therefore be difficult to create more jobs in the next five years. You should know that jobs are created by private companies. Furthermore, industries cannot exist without electricity. But the energy supply is currently lacking. No major hydroelectric dams will be built in the next 5 years. The program only envisages the launch of five solar park projects in each territory.

Regarding electrical energy, the government only plans to: I. Take urgent measures regarding the supply of electricity to Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kisangani; II. Improving the productivity of Inga I and II by increasing them to 1,300 MW thanks to the modernization of the INGA 2 groups in particular (G23, G24, G25, G26); III. Completion and commissioning of new hydroelectric power stations (KATENDE, KAKOBOLA, etc.); IV. Renewal and extension of the 72 kV HV distribution network in Tshikapa-Kamonya, Inga-Kolwezi, etc. It will also be difficult to import electricity from neighboring countries that themselves have shortages of electricity.

Finally, the current engine of the national economy is the extractive industry. In addition to the fact that it creates very few jobs, it is also facing a shortage of electricity. What can we say about the bad business climate that has a negative impact on business creation? There is nothing to prove that the legal and judicial insecurity will disappear in the medium term and that public administration will be more efficient. The government has an ambition to create a middle class that can contribute to wealth creation and the national development effort. But the bourgeoisie cannot decree itself. It is taken by hand when conditions permit.

Drinking water supply is neglected even though this sector is important in the lives of the population. To solve the drinking water shortage issue, the government intends to set up a Public Water Service Regulatory Authority. It’s DIY! He declares that he will continue the efforts made, especially in the areas of regulation and management of the water sector, during the previous five-year term. However, the Sama Lukonde government has not done anything about this. The World Bank financed the two water plants that were opened in Kinshasa on the basis of the negotiations carried out during the time of President Joseph Kabila. Therefore, the population will die of thirst.

Regarding agriculture, which is the basis of all economic development, the government intends to modernize and develop the agricultural, fishing and livestock sectors. But there is an important point that is being ignored, and that is the protection of the national agricultural sector through additional taxes on imports of subsidized products.

However, there is still hope

The government recommends the stability of the macroeconomic framework. This will contribute to the stability of the exchange rate and the protection of the purchasing power of the population. The coordination of economic policies will continue to be at the heart of the government’s concerns in accordance with the stability agreement. The level of the budget deficit will be reduced with a budgetary policy, which will be based on non-reliance on advances from the Central Bank of the Congo. It will then be necessary to increase state revenues, address security spending pressures and mobilize budgetary support from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Monetary instruments will be used as in the past to limit inflationary and exchange rate pressures.

It is still to fight against the dollarization of the economy through appropriate policies. After the action program, the government will keep the promise to continue improving the social welfare of the population. Free primary education will be complemented by efforts to improve students’ learning conditions and teachers’ working conditions. In addition, he will continue to modernize the infrastructure of the university. The “Universal Health Coverage” policy aimed at ensuring access to care for all will continue.

For all the wars we are experiencing, the government says it wants to seek lasting solutions and direct efforts within the framework of the Consolidated Peace Fund. Following the government’s program of action, M23 attacks since 2021 have resulted in the loss of lives and the displacement of millions of Congolese towards the city of Goma. The attack by the Rwandan army and the M23 rebels resulted in the destruction of essential infrastructure, including health facilities, schools, religious institutions and the Virunga National Park. In addition, there is an increase in the activities of other terrorist groups in the territories of Greater North Kivu and southern Ituri. The presence of foreign and local armed groups in Ituri, South Kivu, Maniema and Tanganyika has further increased the insecurity and disrupted the peaceful coexistence of the Congolese population. In other parts of the country, especially Mai-Ndombe, Tshopo, Maniema, the Grand Kasaï area and the Grand Katanga area, intercommunal conflicts also persist. It is time for talks, consultations, negotiations. There can only be lasting peace as a result of these negotiations.