DRC Agriculture Minister faces motion of defiance over $57 million scandal

Muhindo Nzangi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, is facing an imminent motion of defiance in the National Assembly. The move follows a heated parliamentary session on October 21, 2026, where Deputy Hermione Bolumbe Bakando accused the minister of failing to provide satisfactory answers regarding the management of $57 million.

The funds, provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB), were intended for the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Agribusiness Project (PEJAB) to empower young people through the agricultural sector. Bolumbe has raised suspicions of embezzlement, noting that despite the project reaching its deadline in December 2025, there is a lack of concrete results on the ground, such as the number of youth trained or businesses established.

Bolumbe stated that the minister’s explanations did not resolve her concerns and claimed to have already gathered signatures from several national deputies in support of the motion. The allegations regarding the misappropriation of the AfDB funds remain to be formally established.