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Belgium promises €20 million in development aid

    KINSHASA

    Belgium has promised €20 million in development aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Belgian minister for cooperation and development, Armand De Decker, said at the end of a three-day visit to the former colony.

    Speaking in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, on Wednesday De Decker said part of the money would be spent on institutional reform and that volunteers from the University of Liege Law School would help the Congolese Senate in the area of constitutional law. He said Belgium would also help train personnel of the Independent Electoral Commission with regard to the census law that parliament will soon debate.

    Brussels will also provide technical aid through seminars. De Decker also signed an €8-million aid deal to help rehabilitate 2,500 km of secondary roads in Bas-Congo Province, in western Congo.

    During his visit, De Decker met with President Joseph Kabila; Arias Ruberwa, one of Congo’s four vice-presidents, who is in charge of defence and security; other members of government; and the president of the electoral commission.

    The officer-in-charge of cooperation at the Belgian embassy in Kinshasa, Peter Vermaerke, said De Decker's visit provided an opportunity to relaunch other development projects such as the €12-million fight against trypanosomiasis.

    Belgium has indicated it intends to provide €3 million for the improvement of Kinseso, a semi-urban community of Kinshasa. Belgian experts will also be provided for the ministries of education, health, rural development, transport and public works.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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