Tshisekedi Reforms Official Missions to Boost Diplomacy Abroad

Kinshasa, DRC — President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement a formal system regulating all official missions abroad.

The announcement was made during the 64th meeting of the Council of Ministers, held on Friday, 24 October 2025, at the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa.

According to the Council’s report, read by Government Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, this reform seeks to ensure the full participation of Congolese embassies and consulates in all government-related activities abroad, from planning and execution to post-mission reporting.

“No official mission abroad may be undertaken without the prior information of the Minister of Foreign Affairs or without the active participation of our diplomatic or consular representations in the host country,” Muyaya stated.

A Strategic Shift in Diplomacy

President Tshisekedi’s directive empowers Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba to:

• Establish a formalized communication and coordination framework between the ministry and diplomatic posts abroad

• Ensure embassies are no longer sidelined during high-level international visits or bilateral engagements

• Align every mission with the strategic interests and image of the Republic

The government emphasized that this is part of a larger effort to reinforce the credibility, coherence, and impact of DRC’s diplomacy on the world stage.

“This reform reflects a clear political will: to professionalize our diplomacy, eliminate confusion, and project a united national agenda abroad,” noted Minister Muyaya.

Ending the Era of Parallel Diplomacy

For years, Congolese diplomacy has faced challenges with uncoordinated foreign missions, a lack of follow-up, and sidelined embassies. This new policy closes that chapter and opens the way for an era of strategic, accountable, and nation-first diplomacy.

By making embassies the nerve center of all official engagement abroad, the Tshisekedi administration is sending a message: the DRC’s voice must be one, and it must be strong.