Kinshasa, Gombe — In an atmosphere both friendly and symbolically marked by power outages, the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Monitoring Reforms and Public Action (CORAP) brought together several journalists this Monday for a dinner dialogue at Les Auspices restaurant. The evening was designed to strengthen a long-term partnership with the media and to present the first findings of its new barometer on access to electricity.
From the outset, organizers announced a dense agenda reflecting the strategic importance of the topic. On the program: an introduction to CORAP, a screening of videos produced from the electricity barometer, technical discussions with the press, and a collective session to co-develop recommendations for improved coverage of energy issues.
Mr. Iris, program officer at CORAP, took the opportunity to clarify a point often misunderstood by the public: although many still associate the coalition with the Inga project, “CORAP is not only about Inga.”
The event also offered a moment to revisit the identity of the coalition. Created in 2013, and now made up of 55 member organizations across the country, CORAP has established itself as a reference platform on public reforms. Its work revolves around three pillars: access to energy, its historical focus; water and forests, with particular attention to deforestation and its links to domestic energy; and ecological transition, which includes hydrocarbons, agroecology, and monitoring of environmental policies.Even without provincial offices, the coalition relies on local members to conduct investigations, community workshops, and advocacy efforts. As Executive Secretary Emmanuel Musuyu recalled, “one of the coalition’s first battles was the citizen monitoring of the Grand Inga project, at a time when local communities were completely excluded from the process.”
The evening shifted into a crucial phase with the presentation of the Electricity Access Barometer in the DRC, a new tool designed as a regular thermometer of the energy realities faced by households. Through local surveys, interviews, and field observations, the barometer documents daily life in the face of outages, voltage drops, and the lack of infrastructure.
The videos screened highlighted household frustrations and underscored the need for reliable data to inform reforms.
In this context, Justin Mobomi, head of the energy axis, stressed the importance of fieldwork. “Without energy, there is no development,” he insisted, referencing missions carried out in Kisangani and Kamina, all pointing to the same conclusion: an immense need, sharply contrasting with a national budget that remains far too low to meet the scale of the challenges.
Beyond the findings, CORAP issued a direct appeal to the press, seen as an essential partner in documenting reforms, amplifying community expectations, and avoiding frequent misunderstandings in coverage of energy issues.
Journalists shared their expectations, the difficulties they face in accessing public information, and their suggestions for establishing a more structured framework for collaboration.
The evening concluded with a highly anticipated address from Executive Secretary Emmanuel Musuyu, who shared his assessment after the presentation of the barometer’s first report.
He noted that over 70% of Kinshasa residents say they are dissatisfied with the quality of the electricity supply, citing unplanned outages, economic losses for small businesses, and the inability to preserve food.
Musuyu also challenged official figures claiming that national access to electricity has risen to 21%, arguing that such progress “does not reflect the reality on the ground, given the lack of significant added megawatts to the grid.”
He called for independent and verifiable statistics, and urged the government to increase the budget allocated to the electricity sector in order to build new power plants, improve production, and strengthen service quality. Before closing, he summarized the general sentiment:
“The population is not satisfied. People complain, they lose out, and sometimes they get angry. Today, electricity is a barrier to development.”
A conclusion that resonates as a call to action, as CORAP and the media commit to closely monitoring reforms in a sector that has become vital for the country’s future.
By Kilalopress
