OVERVIEW

Between 2015 and 2019, USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) plans to invest approximately $173 million in activities to strengthen Congolese national institutions, both governmental and non-governmental. To achieve the first Development Objective (DO 1) of the Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy, USAID/DRC technical teams will collaborate to improve Congolese institutions’ capacity to plan, set policy and legal frameworks, implement programs, and increase the flow of Congolese resources to key sectors. All USAID activities will be closely coordinated in selected provinces to facilitate a long-term transformational change in both the quality and quantity of services available to Congolese citizens, increase Congolese ownership of development solutions, and renew the social compact between the state and its citizens.

APPROACH

USAID/DRC’s integrated approach will increase linkages between activities and sectors, facilitate joint planning among implementing partners, and promote greater interaction with Government of the DRC counterparts. This increased collaboration will improve program learning, adaptation and, ultimately, progress towards achieving the following four intermediate results (IRs) for DO 1:

IR 1.1: Capacity to identify constraints to development and propose solutions increased – USAID will help DRC counterparts strengthen processes and systems to gather information and make informed decisions about how to apply limited resources to overcome the priority challenges they identify.

IR 1.2: Capacity to create policy and legal frameworks in targeted sectors improved – USAID will increase the knowledge and skills of selected government departments to propose and enact appropriate policies and laws, while empowering civil society to engage in advocacy and policy formulation.

IR 1.3: Capacity to implement selected policies, laws, and programs enhanced – USAID will help national government entities strengthen systems and processes to conduct oversight, quality control and to set standards. Programs will improve the ability of central-level authorities to provide the needed management and technical oversight of decentralized units. Activities will strengthen civil society organizations’ (CSOs) technical understanding of targeted sectors and strengthen linkages between national, provinical, and local CSOs to ensure civil society has a voice in policy implementation.

IR 1.4: Congolese resources made available for selected sectors – USAID will strengthen targeted government entities’ resource management, coordinating this with ongoing public financial management reforms, and will enable civil society to more effectively oversee resource management and demand an allocation of public funds consistent with citizen priorities.

ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES IN KEY SECTORS

Health – Activities improve the managerial and technical skills of the Ministry of Health (MOH), its Directorates, national disease programs (e.g. malaria, tuberculosis, reproductive health, immunizations, etc.), and affiliated national institutions (e.g. the National Institute for Biomedical Research). USAID supports the MOH’s structural and operational reform agenda, including advancing decentralization and streamlining the central MOH structure. USAID provides consultants to the MOH to establish and implement operational procedures for the 26 new Provincial Health Divisions. USAID is also helping the Ministry reorganize into eight core directorates, and to establish the Human Resources, Finance, and Healthcare Management Directorates. USAID assistance also improves key technical competencies within the national disease programs, including monitoring and evaluation, data collection and analysis, provision and management of health commodities and drugs management, disease surveillance, and operational research.    

Education – USAID supports the Congolese government’s ambitious reforms and increased investment in public education. At the national level, USAID improves governance and accountability in the sector by providing technical assistance to strengthen the government’s capacity to conduct oversight and monitoring and evaluation; develop and deploy new education standards and diagnostic tools; strengthen teacher training; develop new curricula, instructional materials, and approaches for teaching reading; and improve information management and teacher payment systems. USAID provides consultants to the Ministry to build the institutional capacity of key Directorates including the National Training Service and the Department of Pedagogical Materials. USAID provides targeted assistance to resolve key policy issues and undertakes assessments related to access, quality, and governance. This enables the development, implementation, rollout, and evaluation of key policies and strategies, including the free education policy. These activities are part of a joint education program with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) – Activities will target the Independent National Electoral Commission, the High Council of Magistrates, national-level entities implementing decentralization, planning bodies in the National Assembly and targeted service-delivery ministries. DRG assistance strengthens supervision by national government entities, increases citizen input into and oversight of policy making processes, strengthens policy formulation to better align with citizen demands and Congolese budget realities, and implements decentralization. DRG activities will strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations working on election observation, voter education, justice system reform, and oversight of public finances, while building the capacity and financial viability of community radio stations. Where possible, DRG activities will also enable coordination bodies that facilitate interaction between government and civil society.

Economic Growth and Energy – Activities will advance priority reforms in the energy and agriculture sectors, including assistance to implement the Electricity Code and new Agriculture Code, setting up a new energy regulatory authority, initiatives to increase rural electrification, and capacity building for farmers’ associations to conduct analysis and policy advocacy. USAID will continue to support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, including through capacity building for civil society actors.

FY 2015 ILLUSTRATIVE RESULTS

• Parliament and the President approved the Law on Parity, thanks in part to USAID and donor advocacy.
• USAID assisted in the development of a new National Health Development Plan, which includes a National Expanded Program on Immunization, a national supply chain strategic plan, HIV-AIDS and family planning, and the national malaria control plan. USAID’s Technical collaboration additionally facilitated the planning and implementation of decentralization reforms in the health sector. The MOH took ownership of the decentralization process, setting procedures governing the transition from 11 to 26 new provincial structures.
• USAID technical assistance helped the Ministry of Education develop and implement a new national primary school approach that includes reading curricula in all four national languages plus French. USAID field tests of reading programs in Lingala and French demonstrated significantly improved text reading and comprehension skills among primary school students. The USAID-piloted programs informed and facilitated the national scaling of in-service teacher training to implement the Ministry’s national language policy and curriculum. 
• USAID strengthened capacities of national CSOs to advocate for media law reforms, monitor infringements to press freedom, and provide legal assistance to journalists. As a result, the Access to Public Information Law was approved unanimously by the Senate in October 2015 and will soon undergo review by the National Assembly. Civil society consultations also helped improve draft reforms of the Media Law that are also undergoing review.
• USAID assisted the Prime Minister’s office to draft of three key energy sector decrees to implement the national Electricity Code, establish a Power Sector Regulatory Authority, and set up the Rural Electrification Agency.