Electricity Sector Regulatory Authority: intry into function of new representatives

Kinshasa, March 3^rd, 2026 (CPA). – The new members of the Board of Directors and  senior management of the Electricity Sector Regulatory Authority (ARE)  have taken up their posts following a handover ceremony held on Tuesday in Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo) in the presence of the  Minister in charge of Water Resources and Electricity. « This solemn ceremony on the occasion of the handover of power within the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ARE) goes beyond the scope of administrative propriety. It marks a decisive step in the energy reform of our country, one of the cornerstones of the vision of His Excellency Mr Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Republic, for the structural transformation of the country, » has declared Minister Aime Molendo Sakombi. Our ambition, he has added, is unequivocal: ‘To establish electrical energy as a powerful lever for growth, job creation and the reduction of regional disparities,’ the Minister has indicated. For the minister, without sovereign, credible and rigorous regulation, there can be no confidence for investors and no protection for consumers. He has praised the actions of the outgoing leaders, in particular those of Ms Sylvie Olela, former chair of the board of directors, and Ms Sandrine Mubenga, former general director. The Minister Molendo has reminded the new management team, namely the CEO Jean-Marie Beya and the General Director Soraya Aziz, whose mandate, in his view, is now entering a moment of truth, that ‘‘If the need for regulation is now recognised, its tangible effectiveness remains to be demonstrated on a daily basis to our fellow citizens’’.  ‘’The independence of regulation is a sacred principle, and it must be exercised in line with the strategic vision defined by the government. This autonomy is not an isolation, but a guarantee of objectivity in the service of the higher interest of the nation’’, he has concluded. The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ARE) in DRC is a public institution created in 2016 to organise, regulate and promote competitiveness in the electricity sector.