Development partners have pledged more than US$200 million to support the Democratic Republic of Congo’s long-delayed national census, authorities said Saturday, in a funding commitment that exceeds the amount required for the exercise and raises hopes for the country’s first full population count in more than 40 years.
The pledges were announced during a donor roundtable in Kinshasa aimed at mobilizing support for the country’s second general population and housing census, known as RGPH2.
The census is seen as a critical step for the vast central African nation, where authorities say outdated demographic data has hindered planning, public service delivery and development policy for decades.
President Felix Tshisekedi said the exercise would provide the state with reliable information needed to govern effectively and respond more accurately to the needs of citizens.
“Continuing to plan without complete, reliable and up-to-date demographic data would amount to governing without visibility,” he said at the opening of the meeting, according to the presidency.
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The World Bank said it was considering a US$100 million programme, with US$75 million expected to go directly toward the census, subject to board approval and the Congolese government meeting the required conditions for implementation.
The remaining US$25 million would be used to strengthen the country’s broader statistical system, including staff training, institutional support and data management capacity at both national and provincial levels.
The African Development Bank is also considering support of up to US$80 million, including US$50 million for census operations and US$30 million for institutional capacity building.
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That funding would help reinforce the work of the National Statistics Institute (INS) and other public bodies involved in planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, officials said.
Although the AfDB proposal is still under review, authorities expect it to be submitted to the bank’s board before the end of the year.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF have jointly committed US$3 million to help launch initial activities, while several U.N. agencies are expected to provide technical, logistical and communications support.
UNFPA will coordinate the international effort and manage the financing through a basket fund established in collaboration with the Congolese government and development partners.
The Congolese state has already contributed US$30 million to that fund, according to officials.
Additional support is also coming from Côte d’Ivoire, which has pledged in-kind assistance including technical expertise, logistics support and equipment.
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That contribution includes plans to provide 3,000 tablets and related tools for mapping operations, as well as training for Congolese technical and cartographic teams.
The cooperation builds on a recent Congolese technical mission to Abidjan and is expected to be formalized through a framework agreement during a visit by Planning Minister Guylain Nyembo in the coming days.
The scale of donor support reflects the importance of the census for a country that has not carried out a full population count since 1984.
At the time, DR Congo’s population stood at around 30 million. Authorities now estimate it has risen to nearly 112.8 million, making the lack of updated demographic data increasingly problematic for public policy, infrastructure planning and social investment.
The government has said the total cost of the census is estimated at US$192 million, meaning the pledges announced in Kinshasa would more than cover projected financing needs if fully delivered.
The challenge now will be to convert political and financial commitments into concrete implementation.
For a country facing vast logistical constraints, insecurity in parts of its territory and limited administrative reach, carrying out a national census will be a complex and politically sensitive undertaking.
But officials say the exercise is essential if Africa’s second-largest country by landmass is to improve governance and plan more effectively for its rapidly growing population.
