New Debt Reduction-Development Contract: With the DRC Long Term

The Debt Reduction-Development Contract (C2D), signed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and France on November 12, 2019, is an extension of the initial C2D concluded between Paris and Kinshasa in 2013.

The initial contract, valued at €106 million, was used to conduct numerous projects in the areas of governance, water and sanitation, as well as education and vocational training. The final contract-related activities will extend through 2022. 

The second C2D, valued at €65 million, extends those projects by allocating new resources to education (€25 M), vocational training (€10 M), governance (€16.5 M), health and water (€9.5 M), as well as to studies and supervision (€4 M). 

Projects that Enhance the Lives of the Congolese People

On the education front, the initial phase yielded the construction of 700 classrooms, the improved delivery of instruction through the continuing professional development of 26,000 teachers and principals, as well as the implementation of a government system that budgeted close to 30,000 primary school teaching positions. The new C2D will involve implementing the national education sector strategy, with a focus on teacher training in particular.  

For vocational training, the focus will be on ensuring the sustainability of the National Institute for Vocational Development’s (INPP) management capacity and improving the quality of not only its training programs but those of provincial centers as well, by developing curriculum for the most innovative and job-creating sectors. 

Central to water and sanitation, the PILAEP 2 (promotion de modalités innovantes pour l'accès à l'eau potable, à l’hygiène et à l’assainissement) project is based on establishing autonomous water networks managed by water network user’s associations known as Asureps (Associations d’usagers des réseaux d’eau potable). At the close of 2019, six neighborhood networks have already been connected; six others are scheduled for early 2020; and the last neighborhoods will be equipped before the end of 2020. Consolidating the Asurep model is key to the success of this project.
 
While health was not a designated sector in the initial C2D, the second allocates substantial resources for epidemiological surveillance and the reinforcement of healthcare facilities.

In Support of Better Administrative and Financial Governance

The “financial governance” component aims to modernize tax office IT systems to establish an integrated revenue management system. The current project should be completed in April 2020. This modernization of the revenue chain will continue as part of the new contract. The new AFD-supported École nationale d’administration also developed a training program better tailored to government service needs and trained the last four classes of high-level civil servants. This support will continue.
 
By fostering the continuum and further development of these flagship projects, this new C2D signals the determination of France and the DRC to establish a long-lasting strategic partnership in support of improving the everyday lives of the Congolese people in terms of education, health, modernizing public services, the environment, and security.