A $1.4 billion World Bank portfolio to support the national education sector

The presentation of the education sector portfolio in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was the focus of discussions on Monday, July 29, 2024, between Minister of State and Minister of National Education and New Citizenship Raïssa Malu and a World Bank (WB) delegation led by its Director of Operations, Albert G. Zeufack.

For nearly an hour, the two parties discussed the implementation of this portfolio, which amounts to 1.4 billion U.S. dollars. Minister of State Raïssa Malu provided clear guidance on the various points discussed and expressed her readiness to get involved in accelerating the implementation of the programs included in the portfolio.

The World Bank portfolio will focus on four strategic areas: supporting the free primary education program, whose results are already tangible and which must be extended to the 7th and 8th grades of basic education, in accordance with the Head of State’s vision; skills development; addressing gender-based sexual violence; and values-based education, including rethinking the school system, particularly regarding the construction of school infrastructure, which must be carried out in accordance with international standards.

Through these various programs, the World Bank aims to support the Republic’s government policy in the education sector, in order to better serve the Congolese people.

“I think we are all very happy to be working to support the DRC’s agenda to increase access to education, discuss, and also invest in the skills that will enable this young population to be equipped for the labor market and for the jobs of the future. “We therefore discussed what the World Bank can do for youth training, as well as for teacher training, and to strengthen education administration,” said Albert Zeufack, before adding: “I must admit that working with the Minister of State is a tremendous pleasure, as we have had the opportunity to collaborate with her on this DRC government project supported by the World Bank over the past three years.”

Christian BELLA