Ituri: MONUSCO equips 4 radio stations with solar energy and broadcasting equipment

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has equipped four radio stations in Ituri province with solar energy systems and broadcasting equipment, as part of a Quick Impact Project (QIP) worth a total of 50,000 US dollars.

The beneficiary radio stations are Radio Sauti Ya Injili (RSI), Radio Candip, Radio Tempête de Kasenyi (RTK), and the Congolese National Radio and Television (RTNC).

Essential support for information access

Each station received:

This support addresses a critical energy shortage, enabling these radio stations to broadcast continuously and reliably despite the region’s limited access to electricity. The first installations, carried out in January 2026, have already shown promising results.

For the managers of the beneficiary stations, this support represents a real turning point in their operations.

“This support is a great blessing. We used to rely on a generator that consumed up to 20 liters of fuel per day. Since the installation of the solar panels, our broadcasts have been continuous,” said Radio Candip director Freddy Lorima Dz’bo, adding: “Without this support, the station would probably have ceased its activities.”

Strengthening community communication

Beyond technical improvements, this project aims to strengthen the role of community media as awareness-raising tools, particularly in a context marked by the Ebola outbreak in Ituri.

Local radio stations play a key role in disseminating reliable information and raising awareness among the population, often in several local languages.

“We can now produce and broadcast programs throughout the day, including awareness messages in local languages about Ebola. This significantly improves our ability to serve our communities,” Freddy Lorima added.

Fighting misinformation

One of the main objectives of this project is to combat misinformation, an increasing challenge in the province. In this context, journalists from the beneficiary stations received training in fact-checking techniques and good journalistic practices.

The training has also helped change journalists’ professional practices, making them more cautious about information circulating on social media.

Freddy Lorima of Radio Candip also spoke about the “transformations” the training has brought to his journalists:

“Very often, they take information from social media. Before broadcasting it, they now say: no, no, we must verify it. We must not spread misinformation. They are truly fighting against disinformation. It has been a very useful training: they understood that information received is not biblical truth. In short, this training has greatly helped our journalists.”

This project is part of a broader MONUSCO initiative aimed at supporting local media, promoting media pluralism, and strengthening community resilience against misinformation.

Over the past four years, the Mission has supported 14 community radio stations in Bunia, Aveba, Mahagi, and Kasenyi, for a total investment of 150,000 US dollars.