Beni, June 28th, 2026 (CPA).- Higher Education and University Minister Thérèse Sambo on Saturday conveyed the Government’s message of compassion to the people of Beni and the entire North Kivu Province, who continue to face massacres and the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), during the inauguration of a new campus of the Higher Institute of Commerce (ISC). « We are delighted to take part in the inauguration ceremony of this campus named Papy Mumbere Machozi. This campus will become a genuine driver of transformation. This occasion also provides us with an opportunity to express our compassion to the entire population of North Kivu, which continues to suffer from massacres and the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. To the response teams working tirelessly to save lives, I reaffirm that the President of the Republic and Grand Chancellor has made education one of his top priorities, » Minister Thérèse Sambo Safi said shortly before cutting the symbolic ribbon. Representing Prime Minister Judith Suminwa’s Government, the minister stressed that education remains the cornerstone of development. She also expressed the Government’s gratitude to Senator Papy Mumbere Machozi for demonstrating that public-private partnerships can generate innovative initiatives serving the public interest. Mrs. Sambo further encouraged other women and men to follow this remarkable example, noting that the new building now constitutes a lasting heritage for both present and future generations. She also delivered a message of hope to students, urging them to preserve and protect the newly inaugurated infrastructure.
Making the campus a true centre of education
For his part, North Kivu Vice-Governor General Louis Segond Karawa highlighted the symbolic significance of the campus as a place that promotes student unity. He encouraged students to embrace patriotism and national pride while calling on the academic authorities to transform the campus into « a genuine center of education for the peaceful advancement of the youth of this province and beyond. » In the context of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, General Karawa urged communities to remain committed to observing preventive health measures and to combine their efforts to bring the country’s 17th Ebola epidemic to an end. The multi-storey campus comprises 15 lecture halls, 11 fully equipped administrative offices, a borehole water supply system and sanitation facilities, at an estimated cost of US$400,000. According to the project’s donor, Senator Papy Mumbere Machozi, the objective is to contribute to the education of young people by providing appropriate learning conditions. The campus, which bears the benefactor’s name, is the second infrastructure project financed and inaugurated on the same day, following the dedication of Saint John Paul II Catholic Church, recently completed in Boikene, within the Beni-Paida Parish. During that ceremony, Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluku of the Diocese of Butembo-Beni described the initiative as a contribution to peace and development in the region.