A politician and businesswoman, the senator from Kinshasa, Anne Mbuguje Marembo, is decided to work for the development of girls within the DR Congo. Interview with Pascal Patrice.
This 12 months, the theme chosen for the celebration of Worldwide Ladies’s Day on 8 March 2025 is ‘For all ladies and women: rights, equality and empowerment’. What does this slogan imply to you?
It’s a very complete, unifying theme. It resonates with all ladies and with these of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a result of it refers to all the things they’re preventing for. The rights of all ladies and women, no matter origin, social standing, ethnicity or bodily situation. Regardless of legislative progress, equality stays a battle for the fulfilment of girls. Lastly, the empowerment of girls and women should allow them to realize entry to financial sources.
By means of your basis ‘FAM’ and your involvement within the affiliation Femmes d’exception du Congo, you actively marketing campaign for girls’s rights. What actions will you be taking in March, which is devoted to ladies’s rights?
The Anne Mbuguje Marembo Basis (FAM) is actively concerned in important areas resembling training, well being, the atmosphere and the financial improvement of younger individuals and ladies, notably in rural areas. We work within the provinces of North Kivu, Equateur and Kinshasa. I’m the third vice-president of the affiliation Femmes d’Exception du Congo (FDEC) and president of the fee accountable for the financial improvement of girls.
Throughout the framework of FAM, we’re going to step up our interventions within the japanese a part of the DR Congo, which has been the scene of a battle that has lasted for 3 many years. We’re going to present our help particularly to ladies and kids, who’re the primary victims.
As a part of FDEC, we organised our first ‘distinctive assembly’ occasion on 3 December 2024, the primary version of which was dedicated to ‘inclusive governance’. In Could 2025, we plan to organise our second version, which can give attention to ‘the monetary inclusion of girls’.
We are going to organise workshops dedicated to the monetary inclusion of girls, in partnership with banks and microcredit establishments. The goal is to allow ladies from completely different financial classes to have the essential info and the keys to construction and handle their funds, whether or not they’re stay-at-home moms, casual merchants or younger entrepreneurs.
You’re a senator for the city-province of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Why did you become involved?
Politics is a strong device for driving lasting change, and like all Congolese individuals, I’m witness to the numerous challenges dealing with my nation: restricted entry to fundamental providers, insecurity, social inequalities and, above all, the shortage of illustration of girls in decision-making our bodies.
My involvement in politics was motivated by the will to contribute to vary, but in addition to serve my group and defend residents’ rights, notably the rights of girls and younger individuals. I’m satisfied that our nation wants leaders who’re dedicated to constructing a extra equitable society and that the participation of girls in politics is crucial to ensure inclusive and efficient governance.
What are the principle challenges you might have confronted as a lady within the Congolese political sphere; how have you ever managed to beat them?
My political profession continues to be younger, however it’s true that like many wome I’ve needed to face many challenges! Nonetheless, we must be happy that within the DR Congo, even when socio-cultural limitations persist, ladies are overcoming prejudice and that ladies have been promoted to high-level positions of accountability.
Since April 2024, the federal government of my nation has been led for the very first time by a lady, Judith Suminwa Tuluka; greater than 30% of her authorities are ladies. This represents actual progress: Congolese women have extra position fashions to determine with.
To come back again to your query, I’d say that the most important problem is that of persuasion: as a lady, regardless of the positions and roles you could have held, the political area is completely different. You should persuade, however you want monetary sources as a result of an election marketing campaign may be very costly.
Financing is a serious impediment, as financial sources are nonetheless largely managed by males. This limits ladies’s entry to elected workplace and reinforces inequalities in illustration, however we should not be discouraged!
You may have confronted opposition from one other candidate. How did you expertise this competitors?
It’s true that the most important impediment I confronted was not a person however a lady, herself a candidate for the Senate for town of Kinshasa. Removed from discouraging me in regards to the lack of solidarity between ladies, this example confirmed me that ladies are politicians like all others!
They are often able to do loads, identical to males, to win towards their opponent. This reassures me, as a result of ladies aren’t fragile little individuals… Now just isn’t the time for division, however for unity for a fairer and extra equitable illustration of girls in Congolese politics.
What are the problems, legal guidelines and reforms that you just advocate for within the Senate?
I make it some extent of honor to be the voice of the unvoiced and to advertise reforms geared toward bettering infrastructure, training and the financial empowerment of girls. Throughout my senatorial marketing campaign, I introduced a venture constructed on 5 pillars (safety, training, salubrity, well being and entrepreneurship) with entry to transparency and integrity.
The Senate has 9 standing committees. As quickly as I took up my publish, I made some extent of becoming a member of the committee accountable for drawing up the Senate’s Guidelines of Process. For me, it was a means of understanding this establishment by which I used to be going to evolve over the following 5 years.
Subsequently, being a part of the ‘Monitoring and Analysis of the Implementation of Legal guidelines, Resolutions, Suggestions and Public Insurance policies’ fee was the logical subsequent step for me, as this fee offers an summary of the work undertaken inside the Senate, which is especially legislative work.
You talked about the dramatic scenario within the japanese a part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It doesn’t appear to be easing.
You’re proper, the scenario stays extraordinarily worrying. For 3 many years, this a part of our nation has been the scene of power insecurity marked by violence perpetrated by native and overseas armed teams. With the resumption of struggle by the armed group M23 in 2021 and because the finish of January 2025, the M23 has taken the cities of Goma and Bukavu with the assistance of the Rwandan military.
Even in the present day, civilians are compelled to flee their villages, ladies and kids are uncovered to sexual violence and abuse, whereas entry to fundamental providers resembling healthcare, training and meals is restricted. Meals safety is critically threatened, notably because of the obstacles to agricultural actions.
Everyone knows in the present day that this battle is fuelled by geopolitical and financial points and regional rivalries. After a deafening silence, the United Nations Safety Council unanimously adopted Decision 2773, which explicitly states that Rwanda is offering direct assist to the M23 and calls for the quick and unconditional withdrawal of the Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory, the cessation of hostilities and the dismantling of the illegitimate administrations of the M23, not forgetting absolute respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DR Congo.
We hope that the worldwide group will act and assure the appliance of this legally binding resolution. The Congolese individuals have demonstrated their power and resilience, and we are going to emerge stronger and much more united from this ordeal.
Ladies, particularly within the DR Congo, have performed a serious position in battle decision and peacebuilding. Are you able to inform us extra?
Congolese ladies, notably within the east of the nation, have at all times been key gamers in battle decision and peace constructing, typically by group approaches, advocacy and mediation.
As early as 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Motion had already emphasised the necessity to combine a gender strategy into battle administration. Previous to 2000, few peace agreements included a gender perspective or commitments to ladies’s rights.
The 12 months 2000, the adoption of Decision 1325 – which arose from the necessity to defend ladies and women in occasions of struggle but in addition to ensure their participation in peace processes – marked a turning level with the official recognition of the position of girls as actors for peace, past their scenario as victims of battle.
Peace and safety can’t be totally achieved with out the involvement of girls; we all know that the participation of girls will increase the probabilities of a long-lasting peace.
What may very well be the contribution of Congolese ladies now within the face of the scenario prevailing within the East?
The contribution of girls just isn’t the identical throughout the battle as it’s after the battle, however regardless of the interval, it may be realised at a number of ranges.
For instance, ladies can advocate for peace by elevating consciousness amongst native populations and the worldwide group of the necessity for peaceable and lasting options. They’re additionally excellent mediators, and have particular entry to households, communities and typically even armed teams, which may allow them to behave within the prevention and determination of conflicts.
As well as, they’re typically on the entrance line in serving to the victims of battle, notably displaced individuals, orphans and survivors of sexual violence. They will organise psychological and authorized assist networks for survivors of violence and develop group initiatives to strengthen the resilience of girls and younger individuals to the trauma of battle.
I’d add that the financial empowerment of girls is a key think about stabilising areas in battle. By supporting native financial initiatives, ladies can encourage reconstruction initiatives based mostly on the native financial system and prepare different ladies and younger individuals in income-generating actions to cut back their vulnerability to the recruitment of younger individuals by armed teams.
Lastly, as moms, lecturers and group leaders, ladies can educate differently, by elevating younger individuals’s consciousness of the values of peace and tolerance, and by encouraging the enrolment of ladies and boys in class with a purpose to provide them prospects far faraway from violence.
Temporary biography:
Anne Mbuguje Marembo, born in Mbuji-Mayi within the DR Congo, is a Congolese politician and businesswoman. She is at the moment a senator, elected on 29 April 2024 to symbolize Kinshasa below the banner of the AVC-A political group.
Holder of a number of levels together with a Grasp’s in Enterprise Administration with a specialisation in finance from Webster Graduate College in London, a regulation diploma from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1994 and a Bachelor’s in regulation and worldwide relations from the College of Richmond in 1997.
Her skilled profession started in 2000 at J.P. Morgan & Co. in London. In 2006, she returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and joined the banking sector: as business director of BIAC (Banque internationale pour l’Afrique au Congo). She rose by the ranks to develop into performing managing director in 2016. In parallel together with her banking profession, she turned concerned within the public sector. In December 2016, she was appointed Chief of Workers to the Minister of State for the Finances, a place she held till September 2019.
Mbuguje Anne is dedicated to the promotion of girls’s rights and the socio-economic improvement of her nation. She is the mom of two youngsters.
