December 4 – 6, 2024, the Centre de Recherche sur l’Anti-Corruption (CERC), in partnership with the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ), organised a strategic training workshop in Kinshasa to strengthen the fight against corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Led by Paulin Kibendelwa and Jonathan Musa Nzamu, CERC’s Provincial Director, this session brought together ACAJ members and a blogger from Habari RDC, with a shared commitment to build citizen capacities and collective action against corruption.

Understanding corruption to act properly

Corruption continues to slow down national development, erode public trust in institutions, and deepen social inequalities. Through this training, the two organisations aimed to raise awareness on the root causes of corruption and provide participants with practical, legal, and ethical tools to prevent, detect, and fight it effectively.

Key objectives

• Strengthen skills in transparent and accountable governance
• Encourage responsible reporting of corrupt practices
• Equip participants to become ambassadors of integrity in their communities
• Foster active citizen engagement in the fight against corruption

Shared values for lasting impact

The training highlighted three core pillars:

1. Ethical compass — think about the impact of each decision and act responsibly
2. Integrity in action — keep commitments and promote transparency, even in difficult circumstances
3. Vigilance — recognise grey areas and risks of corruption to prevent them early

These shared values provide a solid foundation for building a national culture of integrity.

According to Joséphine Mbela, Advocacy Officer at ACAJ, every citizen can contribute to this fight by denouncing corrupt acts and supporting institutional reforms. Jonathan Musa Nzamu from CERC emphasised the crucial role of civil society in raising public awareness and ensuring citizen oversight of government action.

Through initiatives like this, CERC and its partners demonstrate that a different future is possible — a future where public decisions are made transparently, public resources serve the common good, and zero tolerance for corruption becomes the national norm. By training the change-makers of today, we are preparing the ethical leaders of tomorrow.

Transformation has begun — and it starts with each of us.