For Immediate Release
Press Release
Kinshasa, DRC – On July 23 and 24, 2024, the U.S. Government (USG), through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Good Governance Activity (GGA), will co-host a workshop for national government experts and decentralized territorial entities (ETDs) on digital tools designed to improve public finance management at the local level in the DRC. The workshop is co-hosted by the DRC Minister of Finance Comite d’Orientation de la Réforme des Finances Publiques (COREF) and other international donors. The tools will assist ETDs with tracking revenue and spending, registering taxpayers, estimating future revenue, preparing budgets, and reporting on the implementation of their budgets. This is the first initiative of its kind to support public finance reform in the DRC. The workshop will standardize and formalize tools for ETDs, and allow them to evaluate and assess the tools after incorporating previous rounds of feedback. Implementation of these tools will advance the DRC’s efforts to improve financial management across the country for the benefit of the Congolese people.
USAID GGA launched in July 2023. The goal of the activity is to improve the financial management of public resources by increasing the transparency, accountability, and availability of local resources to promote sustainable development for the DRC. USAID GGA capitalizes on a combination of momentum from local government reformers, national-level political will, and robust international support to drive meaningful change in the governance and management of public resources. USAID GGA aims to deepen impact from previous projects by further scaling proven models, including the deployment of new accounting management and taxpayer database tools for ETDs. In addition, USAID GGA fosters local innovation, and directly addresses the systemic drivers and enablers of corruption through improved public financial management. USAID GGA will work with 20 ETDs and 40 civil society organizations in the provinces of Haut Katanga, Lualaba, Tshopo and Haut Uele. Furthermore, USAID GGA will assist USAID’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative effort to improve transparency in the mining sector and strengthen the Congolese Battery Council to help develop the country’s battery industry.
About USAID
USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy. USAID's work demonstrates American generosity and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. President John. F. Kennedy created the United States Agency for International Development by executive order in 1961 to lead the U.S. Government’s international development and humanitarian efforts.
Contact Information:
For media inquiries, please contact: kinshasadoc@usaid.gov For more information about the USAID GGA project, please contact: Agathe Tshimpanga, Deputy Office Director, Democratic, Rights and Governance Office: atshimpanga@usaid.gov