From 5 to 9 October 2026, the Education & Training Programme of the Egmont Institute organised the 2026 edition of the Introductory Course to Belgium, at the initiative of H.E. Mr Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs
From 26 to 30 October 2026, following the signing of the new funding agreement supporting the École Nationale d’Administration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ENA RDC), the Education & Training Programme of the Egmont Institute organised a benchmarking study visit to Brussels and Paris for a delegation led by the Director-General of ENA RDC and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Public Service. The mission aimed to support the institution’s ongoing efforts to reform its student recruitment process through exchanges of expertise and comparative analysis of Belgian and French practices.
The programme included exchanges with the Belgian Federal Public Service Policy and Support (FPS BOSA) in Brussels and the Institut National du Service Public (INSP) in Paris, providing opportunities to explore different approaches to competitive examinations, candidate assessment and recruitment procedures. These discussions are particularly relevant given the scale and complexity of ENA RDC’s recruitment process, which involves nearly 20,000 applicants from across the Democratic Republic of the Congo competing for a limited number of places.
By drawing on Belgian and French experiences, the study visit aimed to identify relevant practices and approaches that could inform the reform of ENA RDC’s recruitment system, with a view to strengthening its efficiency, transparency and fairness. This initiative represents another step in the longstanding partnership between the Egmont Institute and ENA RDC, contributing to the professionalisation and modernisation of the Congolese public administration.
