The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi has appointed Judith Suminwa as the country’s first female Prime Minister.
The announcement of Suminwa’s appointment came on Monday following weeks of uncertainty following Tshisekedi’s electoral victory in December last year.
Taking over from Jean-Michel Lukonde, Suminwa expressed her acknowledgment of the challenges ahead but affirmed her commitment to “work for peace and the development of the country.”
Prior to her appointment as Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa served as the Minister of State for Planning.
She also held positions such as Deputy Coordinator at the Presidential Strategic Monitoring Council (CPVS), overseeing the execution of the president’s initiatives.
Suminwa’s political career also includes notable roles such as Specialist and Coordinator of the Peace and Democracy Consolidation Pillar at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In this capacity, she focused on project management, governance, budget processes, and change management.
Before her tenure with the UNDP, Suminwa served as a Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Budget, where she led the Change Management Unit and supervised the implementation of budgetary and public administration reforms.
KanyiDaily had also reported how Congolese Minister, Tony Mwaba came under media scrutiny over for impregnating his Deputy Minister, Aminata Namasia.