ICT Applications in Reducing Corruption Among Civil Servants in Democratic Republic of Congo: An Analysis

Corruption among civil servants remains a significant challenge in many developing countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications is seen as one potential solution to reduce corruption. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to gather data from a representative sample of DRC's civil service sector. The analysis revealed that the use of digitalized procurement processes significantly reduced corruption levels by 20% among surveyed public officials (n=500). User acceptance scores for these tools were above 80%, indicating high satisfaction and willingness to continue using them. While preliminary results show promise, further longitudinal studies are needed to validate the findings and explore scalability across different sectors in DRC's civil service. Given the positive outcomes observed, it is recommended that ICT applications be integrated into standard operating procedures for all public procurement processes. Additionally, ongoing training programmes should focus on enhancing user skills and understanding of these tools.