KINSHASA — In a nation torn by war and fiscal strain, former Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito is back in the spotlight, now serving as Deputy Prime Minister for the Budget under President Félix Tshisekedi.
His mission blends economics with survival: restore fiscal discipline, fund the war, and preserve the fragile unity of the state.
“In times of war, there is no opposition, no majority. We all must work together,” he told ADR from his office overlooking Kinshasa and the Congo River.
A Calculated Return to Power
Once sidelined after a failed 2023 presidential bid, Muzito has resurfaced as a pragmatic reformer.
His central pledge: double the national budget to $17 billion, largely through improved tax mobilization and carefully managed foreign borrowing.
“Our public debt is below 20 percent of GDP. We can responsibly raise up to $30 billion in external financing,” he explains.
This ambitious plan aims to fuel infrastructure, raise civil service wages, and support military operations in the East — all without triggering fiscal collapse.
War Economy, Western Revenue
Despite the insecurity in the East, Muzito argues that Congo’s fiscal backbone lies in the West, from Kinshasa’s ports to the industrial south.
This, he says, allows the government to function even as it fights.
“Most of our revenue doesn’t come from the East. We can compensate the losses.”
Critics calling for a leaner cabinet are missing the point, he adds:
“It’s not about cutting ministers. It’s about fixing how the state collects and spends.”
Constitutional Reform and the Lumumba Legacy
In a political landscape shaped by conflict, Muzito takes a bold stance: a full constitutional overhaul.
He proposes a unified executive and an indirectly elected president — a model mirroring South Africa’s parliamentary system.
“This is a continuation of Lumumba and Tshisekedi Sr.’s struggle. The system must evolve to serve the nation, not fragment it.”
He insists that reforms must follow peace, not precede it.
If the war delays elections?
“That wouldn’t be abuse of power,” he says quietly. “It would be the situation forcing our hand.”
Strategic Reading: The New Kinshasa Compact
Muzito’s rise is more than a personal comeback; it signals Tshisekedi’s pivot toward pragmatic survivalism.
In this “unity government,” the Budget Ministry has become a political weapon — funding both the frontlines and the fragile peace within.
Behind the public talk of national cohesion lies a calculated reassurance to the IMF and foreign partners:
Congo remains fiscally viable even under fire.
It’s a delicate balancing act between war economy and political consolidation.
“It may take twenty to thirty years for Congo to stand tall again,” Muzito cautions.
Conclusion: Numbers as a Weapon
Adolphe Muzito embodies a new Congolese realism — technocratic, loyal, and quietly strategic.
For Kinshasa, survival now depends on how well it can turn the budget into a battlefield plan.
In the DRC’s halls of power, spreadsheets are the new frontlines.
By O Bulamba / ADR
