Judith Suminwa calls for inheritance reform in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beto
Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka called for comprehensive inheritance reform to better protect heirs, particularly widows, orphans and minors. At the 101st meeting of the Council of Ministers, she said undivided family assets fuel disputes and hamper their economic development, according to minutes read by BETO.
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, has called for a comprehensive reform of inheritance law to better protect heirs, particularly widows, orphans and minors. She raised the issue at the 101st meeting of the Council of Ministers, according to minutes read by Congolese outlet BETO.
Judith Suminwa tasked Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa with reviewing the legal, tax, administrative and judicial framework governing inheritance. He is to work with several government members, including the ministers of Finance, Land Affairs and Gender, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the Interior.
The government is then to propose legislative, regulatory and institutional measures to protect vulnerable heirs, reduce family disputes and encourage the productive use of assets. According to the minutes, many properties, farms and businesses remain undeclared, unliquidated or undivided, sometimes for generations. This prolonged joint ownership leaves heirs vulnerable to dispossession and prevents the use of these assets to finance family projects.
The initiative comes two days after President Félix Tshisekedi launched an industrial roadmap for the DRC on 24 October, and then announced on 25 October that diplomatic coordination would be refocused on the Congolese foreign ministry.
