World Bank, IMF, UNDP and Diplomatic Reps Tour Sicomines Project to Observe Progress of the DRC’s First Infrastructure-For-Minerals Partnership Mines
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Saturday, May 23, 2015
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Facilities
scheduled to start production in the fall of 2015; seen as model for
future foreign investment and development projects
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) May 21, 2015/ -- From
May 16-17, members of the World Bank, United Nations Development
Program, the U.S Embassy and other foreign diplomats toured facilities
and assessed the progress of the new Sicomines joint venture, the
Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) first “infrastructure for minerals”
partnership. Sicomines Sarl, a joint venture between Congolese mining
company Gecamines SA, China‘s Sinohydro and the China Railway Group
Limited, oversees the project, which includes the construction and
operation of two copper plants in Katanga province.
Led
by Mr. Moïse Ekanga Lushyma , executive secretary of the Bureau de
Coordination et du Suivi du Programme Sino-Congolais (BCDPSC), the tour
included a walk through the Sicomines plants, which are expected to
start production in the fall of 2015 with an initial copper output of
50,000 tons annually, gradually rising to an expected 400,000 tons over
the next two decades.
The
Sicomines plants represent a critical development and capacity-building
endeavor for the DRC, employing 3,000 workers, 70% of whom will be
Congolese as reported by Associated Press. In addition, the
Sino-Congolese joint venture will disburse approximately $3 billion for
the construction of roads, dams, hospitals and schools, including
infrastructure projects such as the Busanga hydroelectric project.
“The
progress made by the Sicomines partnership reinforces the DRC’s
commitment to strengthening and professionalizing its mining sector, and
to help increase accountability in the industry,” said Mr. Ekanga. “We
are looking forward to initializing production in just a few months, and
this project will have positive effects for both the Congolese people
and the DRC’s mining and business sectors. This mutually beneficial
cooperation with our Chinese partners is a strong example for others
interested in investment opportunities in the DRC. When Sicomines builds
a plant in the DRC, it sources equipment globally and is a job creator
in China, the U.S., France; it creates tax revenues for the DRC, employs
local labor and the shared experience facilitates the knowledge
transfer we need. It's a win win for all. Sicomines is the real proof of
concept for us that we have sought under the leadership of President
Kabila and will continue to replicate with other investors. In
partnership with the World Bank and the IMF, the DRC has implemented
liberalizing reforms designed to increase business activities and create
jobs across the country, including reforms in key industrial and
commercial sectors. Our nation’s infrastructure is being rebuilt at an
unprecedented rate, with new roads, schools, and hospitals under
construction. Tangible investments like Sicomines from international
partners will help solidify these gains and foster broader regional
stabilization and growth”.
Among
those touring the site were Eric Madison, Deputy Chief of Mission at
the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa; Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, the World Bank’s
Country Director for the DRC; Prija Gajraj, Country Director for the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); as well as diplomats from
France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In
an interview with Top Congo FM during the tour, Mr. Madison said, “I
was very much impressed by the progress they have made in the past few
years. I hope it will attract other investors.”
"This
kind of project is in line with the objectives of the World Bank, which
is that of the fight against poverty," Mr. Moustapha Ndiaye told Top
Congo FM.
Ms.
Gajraj added, "We welcome this important initiative that demonstrates
the potential of the mining sector in DRC and continue to promote
efforts in terms of development—capacity building, infrastructure,
support for the local population—because that profits everyone.”
Distributed
by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Bureau de
Coordination et du Suivi du Programme Sino-Congolais (BCDPSC).
For more information, please contact:
Habari Zingine
Mjulishe Mwenzako
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