Media Wire Express Correspondent
Judith Suminwa Tuluka was inaugurated early Wednesday as the first female prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Before the National Assembly, the lower house of the DRC parliament, Tuluka and the 54 new government members officially assumed office after deputies approved her action programme with the required absolute majority.
While presenting her action programme on Tuesday afternoon, Tuluka expressed pride in breaking the “glass ceiling” as the first Congolese woman to serve as prime minister.
“By assuming this position, I am fully aware of the historical importance of this moment and the symbolism of this appointment for the Congolese nation. I feel both the weight of the responsibility on me and immense pride in representing the culmination of the efforts of all Congolese men and women tending to break the famous ‘glass ceiling’,” she noted.
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Tuluka pledged to lay the groundwork for an “emerging Congo” by creating around 2.6 million jobs and establishing an academy of mathematics and artificial intelligence in Kinshasa. She also outlined actions on national security, economic diversification, infrastructure connectivity, public services, and climate change.
Tuluka, who holds a master’s degree in applied economics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, was appointed state minister for Planning in March 2023. From 2020 to 2023, she served as deputy coordinator of the Presidential Strategic Monitoring Council, an agency affiliated with the presidential office.
The new government, unveiled on May 29, consists of 55 members, including the prime minister, six deputy prime ministers, and 10 state ministers, compared to 57 members in the March 2023 reshuffle.
