The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, has appointed Judith Suminwa as the country’s first female prime minister.
Tshisekedi announced the appointment on Monday, after weeks of uncertainty following his election victory in December last year.
Suminwa, who succeeds Jean-Michel Lukonde, stated that she is aware of the task ahead of her but is confident that “we will work for peace and the development of the country”.
Despite the rapid expansion of Congo’s economy, which is fueled by the thriving copper industry, the country is dealing with escalating conflicts in some of its regions, as well as mismanagement of its significant mineral resources.
Suminwa served as minister of state for planning before becoming prime minister.
She also worked as the deputy coordinator for the Presidential Strategic Monitoring Council (CPVS), where she oversaw the president’s commitments.
The politician previously worked as a specialist and coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) peace and democracy consolidation pillar, where she was responsible for project management, governance, budget processes, and change management.
Before joining UNDP, she worked as a senior advisor at the Ministry of Budget, where she coordinated the change management unit and oversaw budgetary and public administration reforms.
