Government of Congo and African Development Bank Group Join Hands

Following a joint review, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) have approved a plan to improve the performance of the institution's project portfolio in the Central African country. The Country Portfolio Performance Review, as the process is formally known, was conducted from 17 - 20 November in the capital, Kinshasa.

The Plan Ahead

The agreed plan emphasises greater ownership of projects by sector ministries, concerted effort to support ongoing operations to maturity, and more coordinated investment programming. It also includes the digitisation of implementation and reporting processes, capacity building for project teams, and more proactive collaboration to reduce lead times. Additionally, it introduces a system for assessing the performance of project management units, together with incentives to speed up project implementation and optimize impact.

During the three-day review, the government's technical teams – supervised by the Ministry of Finance's Project and Programme Monitoring Unit and the Bank Group's Project Management Units – worked in thematic workshops to examine each operation in detail, assess progress, identify challenges, and propose appropriate corrective measures and concrete actions for effective implementation.

“It is essential that projects financed by the African Development Bank perform well if we are to meet the legitimate expectations of our people,” said DRC Deputy Finance Minister Yamba Kazadi Gracia, at the review. “Every dollar unused represents a school not built, a road not rehabilitated, a health centre not equipped. We have a moral and political duty to transform this funding into tangible results for the development of our country.”

The Bank Group's Deputy Director General for Central Africa, Mohamed Chérif, praised the quality of the dialogue with the Congolese authorities and reaffirmed the pan-African institution's commitment to supporting the country in achieving its national priorities.

He said: “This meeting testifies to our shared commitment to the national vision and reaffirms our support for the major national priorities ... This is why we need to work more closely together to improve the effectiveness of our projects and programmes and enhance their impact on the development and well-being of the Congolese people.”

Country portfolio reviews serve as milestone moments in the ongoing strategic and operational dialogue between the Bank Group and the countries in which it is financing operations.

The African Development Bank Group's active portfolio in the Democratic Republic of Congo totals more than $1.6 billion, covering the agriculture, transport, energy, drinking water and sanitation, governance, human capital, and digital sectors. The Bank's portfolio in the DRC is one of the Group's largest in Central Africa in terms of commitments.