Kinshasa, March 15th, 2023 (CPA). – 762 million USD have already been made available by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the implementation of the Local Development Program of the 145 territories (PLD-145T), affirmed on Tuesday, the acting Minister in charge of Planning, during the briefing co-hosted with his counterpart in Communication.
« Out of the total amount, the government has already made available USD 762,000,000, of which USD 711,000,000 will go to the implementing agencies for the construction, in its first phase, of 1,200 schools, 788 health centres and 145 buildings, » said the Minister a.i. for Planning, Crispin Mbadu.
« The PDL-145T stems from the vision of the Head of State, » he said, adding that it « aims to reduce spatial inequalities, revitalise local economies and transform the living conditions of Congolese people living in areas hitherto poorly served by basic social infrastructure and services. « The program is supported by the National Strategic Development Plan (PNSD), the Government Action Program (PAG) and the Presidential Accelerated Program for the Fight against Poverty and Inequality (PPALCPI), and is financed at a total cost of USD 1,660,101.312. It is being implemented by UNDP, the Central Coordination Office (BCECO) and the Fragile States Facility (CFEF), » he said.
The implementation of this program is based on 4 components, namely: « improving access of populations in rural areas to basic economic infrastructure and services, promoting the development of rural economies and value chains, strengthening local development management capacities and developing a geo-referenced monitoring and evaluation information system », he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Central Coordination Office (BCECO), Jean Mabi Mulumba, said that his institution is implementing this program in 9 provinces and 48 territories: « from March 15th to 30th, the first works will be delivered to the beneficiary entities, despite the security challenges in the east of the country, » he said.
Mr. Alain Lungungu, coordinator of the CFEF noted that in the 7 provinces allocated to him, 635 infrastructures including schools, health centres and administrative buildings, must be built.
Finally, the coordinator of the PDL-145T for the UNDP, Elhadji Diallo, affirmed that 450 infrastructures still remain to be built in the 9 provinces entrusted to him. However, he reassured that to date, 45% of the work has been completed within the overall framework of this program. ACP/
