In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country with immense potential and a young and growing population that needs jobs, the World Bank Group’s jobs agenda is straightforward: create more and better jobs by implementing transformative projects that deliver at scale. But that impact hinges on execution—projects must move from plans to procurement to timely delivery so that public investments result in well-functioning infrastructure and services, private sector response and investment, and ultimately adequate job creation.
To support better execution, we recently worked in partnership with the DRC National School of Administration (ENA) delivering a training program to strengthen public administration skills for 160 staff from Project Implementation Units and the Ministry of Finance’s Project and Program Monitoring Unit (CSPP) in Kinshasa. Our first goal, strengthening the capabilities of these staff so projects disburse faster and reach more people with tangible benefits. Our second goal, institutionalizing these skills and training.
When we designed the Strengthening Client Capacity for Impact (SCCI) Program for DRC, I made a deliberate choice to co-deliver it with ENA—a public training institution whose mission is to train senior managers of the Congolese public administration, in order to improve the efficiency and performance of state institutions. This institution shapes the next generation of Congolese public servants. We could have run a standalone training, but that would have missed the point: execution capacity must live inside the state if we want projects to move faster, crowd in the private sector, and create jobs at scale.
I was encouraged to see ENA trainers cofacilitate key modules of the program and then begin integrating them into ENA’s curriculum. That is national ownership in practice, and it is how we turn one cohort of trainees into a pipeline of capable project managers. As Tombolo Muke, ENA’s CEO, put it, “We believe this initiative should not only be capitalized on but also sustained, and at ENA we are delighted to be part of this partnership with the World Bank Group.”
The execution imperative
At the closing ceremony, I reiterated a simple truth: effective implementation—visible in disbursements and measurable improvements in people’s lives—is the difference between aspiration and impact. Otherwise, development is merely a pious wish. In DRC’s vast geography and challenging context, execution demands capable teams, clear accountability, and timely problem-solving—all of which this partnership is designed to foster.
What comes next
We will now formalize a long-term collaboration with ENA to sustain capacity building for project managers nationwide. This includes:
- Institutionalizing modules in ENA’s pre-service and in-service programs to reach future and current civil servants.
- Establishing mentorship and communities of practice across PIUs to spread know-how and troubleshoot bottlenecks in real time.
- Linking training outcomes to project performance metrics (disbursement, procurement lead times, contract management, safeguard compliance), ensuring capability translates into results—and jobs.
A regional approach to institutional capacity
Over the past two years, the World Bank Group’s DRC Country Management Unit (covering Angola, Burundi, São Tomé and Príncipe, and DRC) has required new projects to include activities that both reduce the skills gap by creating a critical mass of competent individuals and institutionalize capacity development with local public institutions. This policy anchors delivery capacity— When countries can reliably implement complex investments, they increase effectiveness, strengthen credibility, and improve the environment for private investment and job creation.
Ms. Josee Miakukila (CSPP), Albert Zeufack (World Bank), and Cedric Tombola (ENA) presenting certificates to participants at the end of the training session. Photo credit: ENA
Acknowledgments
My appreciation goes to the Ministry of Finance, the CSPP, the PIUs who engaged with rigor, and ENA leadership and trainers who co-facilitated alongside WBG colleagues and are taking forward this agenda. Together, we are strengthening the state’s capability to implement—and in doing so, expanding opportunities for the Congolese people.
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