Kinshasa, February 1st, 2023 (CPA).- Two implementing agencies of the 145 Territories Programme initiated by President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have already started work on basic socio-economic infrastructures, the CPA learnt on Tuesday at the Ministry of Planning.
« Of the basic socio-economic infrastructure component: schools, health centre and administrative building, two agencies are already executing the work through “the Fragile States Implementation Unit” (CFEF) and the Central Coordination Office (BCECO), while the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is still at the stage of awarding contracts because of the additional costs after the feasibility studies in their area of intervention, » said one of the ministry’s officials in the programme.
He also stressed that for the road component: « the three (3) implementing agencies have received the funds and are at the level of feasibility studies ».
In this context, the governor of Equateur Bobo Biloko launched on Monday, January 23rd, the construction of socio-economic infrastructure by launching the work of the Ruki primary school in the territory of Ingende marking the kick-off of the Programme of 145 territories.
« Initiated by the President of the Republic Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, the Local Development Programme of the 145 territories (PDL145T) of the DRC has become a reality in the Equateur province. This programme concerns in addition to Ingende, the territories of Basankusu, Bikoro, Bolomba, Bomongo, Lukolela and Makanza, » said the governor of Equateur, Bobo Boloko.
The third UNDP agency is experiencing a delay in the work because it is still at the contracting stage due to additional costs after the feasibility studies in their area of intervention.
In the province of Lualaba, the 145 territories programme, Governor Fifi Masuka launched the work in Nzilo on 19 January by laying the foundation stone for the construction of the « Mangi » Institute, a Catholic school selected in the local development programme for the 145 territories of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Central Kongo, a provincial decree on the organisation and functioning of the provincial coordination committee for monitoring the implementation of the programme was signed
Harmonisation of the terms of reference for the implementation of the 2nd part of the LDP 145T
In addition, a meeting with the technical commission set up for the harmonisation of important technical issues concerning the implementation of the Local Development Programme (LDP) of the 145 Territories in its agricultural feeder roads component was chaired by the acting Minister in charge of Planning Crispin Mbadu Phanzu on January 19th, in Kinshasa.
In front of the managers of the Executing Agencies, the delegates of the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as the general secretaries of the sectoral ministries including Planning, Rural Development and Infrastructures and Public Works (ITP), the technical commission set up presented the conclusions of the mission entrusted to it by the government through the acting Minister in charge of Planning Crispin Mbadu in order to set up a schedule of conditions including the chronogram of the various activities to be carried out within the framework of the execution of the rehabilitation of the agricultural feeder roads component.
According to the Secretary General of Infrastructure and Public Works (ITP), Georges Nkoshi, a compromise was reached between the two parties so that by the end of February, some agencies, notably CFEF, will already be producing the specifications that the other two agencies will be able to use for the rehabilitation and maintenance of agricultural feeder roads, before calling on the other agencies to speed up the process of obtaining field data for the mobilisation of funds.
On behalf of the government, Crispin Mbadu welcomed the quality of the work carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Head of State Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. The number one of the Plan thus advocated the establishment of a common roadmap including the chronogram of activities, in order to allow all stakeholders to be at the same level.
