The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org) has concluded a four-day workshop in Kinshasa to strengthen project management and improve the performance of Bank-financed operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Organised from 8 to 11 September 2025 by the African Development Institute and the Bank's fiduciary departments, in collaboration with the Country Office, the workshop brought together representatives of ministries, the Court of Auditors, and project implementation teams.

In his opening remarks, Mohamed Coulibaly, the Bank's acting Country Manager in the DRC, said the training course will help strengthen accountability, transparency and project effectiveness by transferring knowledge about the Bank's rules, procedures and best practices.

Alain K. Malata, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Finance, stressed the importance of commitment: "The quality of your commitment during this workshop will be decisive in improving the performance of the national portfolio.”

Ann Sow Dao, Division Manager for Programme Management at the African Development Institute, noted that investing in capacity building to improve portfolio performance represents a high-impact intervention with enduring benefits for operational quality.

Participants took part in practical sessions on financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, and results-based management. They also exchanged experiences and best practices to enhance project delivery.

For Jean Luemba Lukumbu, Coordinator of the National Road 1 Renovation Project (https://apo-opa.co/425Var1), the training was invaluable: "We gained new knowledge about the standards and methodologies required to ensure effective project implementation."

Ruth Mpata Ndaya, an administrative and financial assistant for the Ngandajika Agro-Industrial Development Support Programme (PRODAN) (https://apo-opa.co/4mwLqNE), noted: "This workshop strengthened my skills in results-based project management, strategic planning and quality management, which I will share with my colleagues to achieve better results."

Recommendations from the workshop will be integrated into the Bank's portfolio management activities in the DRC.

As of 1 September 2025, the African Development Bank Group's portfolio in the DRC comprised 25 active operations worth approximately $1.5 billion, with investments focused on transport (30.8 percent), agriculture (30.3 percent), energy (16.9 percent), social sectors (12.7 percent) and other sectors (3.96 percent).