The "New Citizenship" concept: "It aims to encourage individual and collective commitment by citizens to the common good"(Minister of State Raïssa Malu)

Raïssa Malu, Minister of State and Minister of National Education and New Citizenship, presented the “New Citizenship” initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the Cabinet meeting held on Friday, August 23, 2024, at the AU City. In her remarks, she stated that New Citizenship, in conjunction with the Ministry of National Education, aims to encourage individual and collective commitment by citizens to the common good, while respecting republican and societal values. According to her, this initiative is intended as a means of promoting unity in diversity within the country, through fundamental values such as freedom, fraternity, solidarity, justice, peace, and work. The Minister of State added that the concept of New Citizenship also aims to encourage citizens’ civic and democratic engagement, while integrating global issues into their education, in order to foster conscious and responsible citizens. On this occasion, Raïssa Malu presented to the Council the priority actions defined for the implementation of this concept for the 2024–2025 period. "The methodology adopted is based on a participatory and inclusive approach, involving every citizen—whether young or adult—in the construction of this New Citizenship. This will ensure that everyone feels involved and is an agent of change," stated Minister of State Raïssa Malu. Furthermore, she assured that rigorous monitoring of the initiatives and continuous evaluation will be implemented to adjust strategies in real time, in order to guarantee the effectiveness and transparency of the actions undertaken. Thus, New Citizenship represents a promising initiative to encourage strong civic engagement in building a better future for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Célestin Zeula