Mission to support the "Sustainable Cities" strategic framework in DRC

At the beginning of December, Espelia’s consultants went for the first time in Kinshasa to support AFD in the identification of a new urban project around the theme of the "Sustainable City".

The objective of this mission was to identify, with Congolese authorities, the national priorities in terms of Sustainable Cities, stakeholders concerned by such issues as well as the criteria for prioritizing provinces and cities that could benefit from AFD financing.

A participatory workshop on "Sustainable Cities in DRC" was organized by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land Management and AFD on the 7^th and 8^th of December 2022 at the “Hôtel du Gouvernement”. The "Sustainable Cities" strategic framework – co-constructed by main Congolese decision-makers and AFD – has been designed considering the assets and constraints of territories and local stakeholders, their vision of the sustainable city and activities underway and already engaged.

The workshop has provided the opportunity to: Define a shared vision around the "Sustainable Congolese City", as well as to expose AFD’s and Congolese Ministries’ strategies; Draw up an overview of the various existing initiatives in the field of urban development in DRC and to draw lessons from them; Identify common issues in a very heterogeneous urban context; Define criteria for prioritizing cities to be supported and determine the partnership’s next steps.

This participatory workshop has enabled Espelia to discover a new geography and its urban issues, as well as to implement its collective intelligence animation methods, to the benefit of Congolese stakeholders and AFD.

© Crédits photos : Droits réservés / Élisabeth Krempp - AFD