Kinshasa, March 23rd, 2026 (CPA).- The Congolese Head of State, Felix Tshisekedi, has mobilized the donors and other partners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to fund the second general population census, during a ceremony on Monday in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. “An operation of this scale requires adequate, predictable and coordinated funding. That is why I am today calling for a renewed commitment from our technical and financial partners. Supporting the Second General Population and Housing Census (RGPH2) is not simply a matter of funding one operation among many. It is contributing to provide DRC with one of the most fundamental tools of its modern governance,” has declared President Felix Tshisekedi. “Supporting the RGPH2 (…) is to invest in the quality of public decision-making, in better resource allocation, in a greater transparency, in a more targeted social response and in a more coherent territorial planning,” he has added, in the presence of representatives from UNFPA, the European Union, heads of diplomatic missions in DRC, members of the Government, and so on.
The Congolese Head of State has indicated that this ceremony marks a moment of truth for the Republic, determined to get to know itself better, to govern itself better, to plan better and to transform itself better. “In a word, supporting the RGPH2 (…) means investing in the strength of the State and in the future of a country destined to play a central role in Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, dear partners, this round table must be much more than a forum for discussion. It must be a moment of commitment, of trust and of responsibility. “Today we have the opportunity to repair a historic delay and to open a new chapter in the governance of our country,” has insisted the Congolese President. Far from being a mere statistical exercise, this census is, according to President Tshisekedi, an act of sovereignty, an instrument of public justice and an essential lever for the effectiveness of the State’s action. “It determines our ability to improve the quality of public services, to direct our investments with discernment and to ensure that no territory, no community and no citizen is left behind,” he has said, noting that this project is part of the same vision that underpins all the major reforms and programmes carried out in the country to date: that of placing people at the heart of public action. “The major reforms we have undertaken since 2019—whether free basic education, universal healthcare, free maternity care, or the Local Development Programme for the 145 regions—all stem from the same conviction: to place people at the heart of public action. But this ambition can only be fully realised if it is based on a precise understanding of our population, its distribution, its needs and its living conditions. It is on this basis that we will be able to better target our policies,” he has emphasised.
A tool for a broader economic ambition, including agriculture
Group photo of the Head of State and partners
Continuing, the Congolese Head of State went to point out other expected benefits of this second general census, which, in his view, will aid in the planning of sectorial policies, and in particular the general agricultural census. “The general population and housing census will also serve a broader economic ambition. It will enable better preparation of sectorial policies, particularly in agriculture, which remains one of the pillars of our economy and employs a significant proportion of our working population. In this regard, the data from this census will form an essential foundation for the preparation, at a later stage, of the general agricultural census. This will be crucial to fully reveal our country’s potential in this strategic sector and to measure it with greater precision,” has maintained President Tshisekedi. “The RGPH2 is therefore much more than a statistical tool; it is a tool that can be used to ensure the RGPH2 is more effective. It is also a strategic prerequisite for the consolidation of our productive potential and the strengthening of our food sovereignty,” he has said.
A vision for a change in approach
The Prime Minister of DRC, members of the Government and partners
According to President Felix Tshisekedi, the ambition is to ensure that, for decades to come, the major public decisions are based more on knowledge than on estimates, and on rigour rather than on approximations. “In such a context, continuing to plan without comprehensive, reliable and up-to-date demographic data would mean to govern without visibility and thus to weaken the state’s ability to respond accurately to the population’s expectations,” he has emphasised. “A country that does not know itself. A country that does not count itself cannot plan properly. A country that does not count itself cannot transform itself sustainably,” has concluded the Congolese Head of State.