Kinshasa: Provincial Assembly Speakers’ Conference Described as a Permanent Framework for Institutional Dialogue (Conference President)

Kinshasa, July 6^th, 2026 (CPA). – The Conference of Presidents of Provincial Assemblies of the Democratic Republic of Congo (COPAP-RDC) serves as a permanent framework for consultation, institutional dialogue and the exchange of experiences, its president said on Monday at the opening of the conference held at the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly (APK).

« The Conference of Presidents of Provincial Assemblies is a permanent platform for consultation, institutional dialogue and the sharing of experiences among the leadership of our provincial assemblies. It aims to strengthen provincial governance, institutional cohesion, the stability of our provinces and their harmonious development. Our ambition is to make provincial assemblies true pillars of local democracy, capable of effectively fulfilling their legislative, budgetary and oversight responsibilities over provincial executive authorities, » said Papy Mantezolo, President of COPAP-DRC and Speaker of the Kongo Central Provincial Assembly. According to the COPAP-DRC President, the meeting is intended to provide provincial assemblies with a forum for discussing reforms aimed at strengthening governance, decentralization and institutional stability. « The work of the Conference of Presidents of Provincial Assemblies of the Democratic Republic of Congo will focus, among other issues, on proposals for constitutional reforms, supporting public awareness of future reforms, and the adoption of a social charter for the country’s 780 provincial lawmakers, » he said. He stressed that the conference seeks to strengthen provincial assemblies so they can effectively carry out their legislative, budgetary and oversight mandates.

« During these four days of intensive deliberations, this extraordinary session will focus on three key issues, including constitutional reforms. We will formulate concrete recommendations and proposals to redefine the role of provincial assemblies and strengthen their powers within the country’s evolving institutional framework, » he added.

The participants will also consider mechanisms to promote the political stability of provincial institutions and harmonize their relations with the central government. « As institutions closest to the people, we have the responsibility to prepare public opinion to understand and embrace this democratic instrument of sovereignty, which concerns all matters of national interest, » he concluded.

President’s Efforts to Restore Peace Praised

The sustained efforts of the President of the Republic to restore peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo were also commended on Monday by the Speaker of the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly at the opening of the first extraordinary session of the Conference of Presidents of Provincial Assemblies. « Allow me to pay tribute to the President of the Republic for his tireless efforts to restore peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as for his development initiatives and profound transformation of our respective provinces, unlike anything witnessed before, » said Lévy Mbuta, Speaker of the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly. « We are all witnesses to these achievements because we remain close to the grassroots. At a time when our country is preparing to write a new chapter in its political history, the Conference of Presidents of Provincial Assemblies has a duty to stand on the right side of history, » he added. He recalled that 66 years ago, during his June 30^th, 1960 independence speech, Patrice Emery Lumumba, then Prime Minister, declared that Africa would write its own history—a history of glory and dignity both north and south of the Sahara. « Today, we are fulfilling that historic prophecy by coming together to write new pages of our history. We are doing so without taboos, addressing essential issues such as the stability of our provincial institutions, the dignity of provincial lawmakers and the future of our country. These are pages we are writing for ourselves and for our respective provinces, just as Prophet Simon Kimbangu, Patrice Emery Lumumba and Dr. Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba envisioned, » he added.