DRC: More than 300,000 civil servants eligible to new retirement plan

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a long-awaited project finally resumes. 

More than 300,000 civil servants are eligible to a new retirement plan for the public sector, the Congolese government spokesperson announced on Monday.

The public sector ministry launched a large-scale retirement campaign in 2022. The government hoped to modernise the administration, improve the state’s finances and honour commitments with international partners like the International Monetary Fund, among other purposes. 

That year, 11,000 civil servants retired, but the process was then paused in 2023 and 2024, due to budgetary constraints. 

Retirements could now resume. The public sector minister Jean-Pierre Lihau presented a ten-year plan to finance the process during a cabinet meeting on Friday, according to local media outlets. 

The state will pay 20 billion Congolese francs each month - about $7 million - into a dedicated sub-account at the Central Bank.

And from 2026 onwards, banks will be able to pay compensations to pensioners in advance, before being reimbursed by the state. The goal is to avoid further debt. 

The government will appoint a special committee of state actors to supervise the process. 

The body will include the public sector, budget and finance ministries, as well as the presidency, the prime minister's office and the civil service social security.