Public service delivery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo : an overview of leadership, governance and public policy interrogation

Abstract

This article examines the problem of public service delivery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It uses a case study approach of the Congolese Customs Office ‘OFIDA’ (Office des Douanes et Accises) as an explication of the issue. The article further explores policy interpolations in an attempt to find the extent to which exigencies of the end product of service delivery can be addressed in a public organisation such as OFIDA within the triangulation of Leadership, Governance and Public Policy. The article critically examines the performance of OFIDA within the context of administrative governance imperatives, while at the same time, focusing on its ability to provide customs service in the DRC and its ability to gather budgetary funds for the support of government’s activities. This article posits that an intellectual and organisational triangulation of policy provisions can provide the vital stimulus for leadership in the DRC which will focus on the tangential hinge of governance and public policy.