Judith Suminwa Tuluka, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s planning minister, became Africa’s first female prime minister on Monday, according to state television.
She is an economist who succeeds Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde as prime minister following President Felix Tshisekedi’s re-election on December 20.
Tuluka stated on national television that “the task is big, the challenges are enormous, but together… we will get there.”
“I am aware of the great responsibility that is mine,” she continued, saying she intended to fight “for peace and development” so that the “Congolese people can benefit from the resources” of the country.
Tshisekedi won the December election with 73.47 percent of the vote, which was mostly peaceful in a country plagued by violence and instability.
The opposition called the ballot a fraud. Voting was officially prolonged by one day due to logistical issues, and polls remained open for many days in outlying locations.
Tshisekedi-supporting parties won more than 90 percent of the seats in parliament, allowing him to pass legislation with ease.
The new prime minister will be responsible for advancing the president’s proclaimed goals of jobs, youth, women, and national cohesion for the country of around 100 million people.
Tshisekedi was elected president in 2019 on the promise of improving living conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has natural resources but a predominantly impoverished populace, and putting an end to 25 years of violence in the east.
Tshisekedi made little progress on those promises, but he ran for a second term on accomplishments like free primary care.
According to the United Nations, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries, has internally displaced approximately seven million people.
The security situation has deteriorated in North Kivu province, where the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has conquered large areas of territory during the last two years.
After eight years of dormancy, the M23 insurrection resumed operations in late 2021, conquering significant swaths of eastern North Kivu province and cutting off all land access to Goma except the Rwandan border road in early February.
The World Health Organisation also issued a warning last month about the country’s deteriorating health status, in which cholera, measles, pox, anthrax, and plague are causing havoc.
Violence, climatic shocks, displacement, poverty, and malnutrition are exacerbating the health crisis, according to the WHO, which has appealed for an emergency funding boost.
Around 15,000 UN personnel stationed in the DRC began to leave at the end of February, at the request of the Kinshasa government. The withdrawal is expected to be complete by the end of the year.