Agence congolaise de presse ACP

The Congolese Press Agency is the national news agency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo headquartered in Gombe, Kinshasa. It is a state-owned public institution under the Ministry of Communication and Media that gathers and distributes national and international news. The ACP was established on 12 August 1960 by a decree of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, following the transfer of the activities and facilities of the Belgian news agency Belga's Kinshasa office. Its legal status as a public institution was formalized by Ordinance-Law No. 67-83 of 3 February 1967, which defined it as a technical, administrative, and commercial institution with legal personality. The agency was renamed the Zaire Press Agency in 1971, following the country's change of name. During the 1970s, the agency expanded its national network and international presence, including representations in Brussels, Paris, and Beijing, and developed relationships with foreign and African news agencies. The agency reverted to the name Agence congolaise de presse in 1997 following the fall of Mobutu's government.