Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi paid an official visit to Botswana to understand the economic success and management model of the Jwaneng mine, a true symbol of the country’s success in the diamond industry. With a GDP of 7000 USD/inhabitant, Botswana is a mining country which owes its prosperity and its benchmark economic model to diamond mining. For President Tshisekedi, the DRC must also reverse the curse of natural resources which has led to a catastrophic situation in eastern Congo. The Congolese president is impressed by the management of the Jwaneng mine and hopes to be able to duplicate this model of success in the DRC.
The Congolese president also highlighted the strengths of the DRC to further strengthen relations between the two nations and encourage investors to set up in the DRC. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a market of nearly 100 million consumers with significant natural resource potential, including oil and gas deposits, and a large hydroelectric project at Inga that can transport electrical energy to southern and eastern African countries.
This visit marked the will of the two States to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the production industry of batteries and electric vehicles to propel Africa into the energy transition. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi have signed an agreement to encourage companies to invest in the production of batteries and electric vehicles in Africa.
However, the DRC continues to face many challenges, in particular the violence in eastern Congo which has caused numerous population displacements and the need for an audit of the electoral register in view of the upcoming elections. The Congolese government has announced security operations to put an end to communal violence, while the opposition recommends national expertise for the audit of the electoral register.
News in the DRC is mixed, ranging from tragedies such as the Vitshumbi disaster which saw more than 250 houses blown away by a strong wind, to initiatives to combat Rwanda’s aggression in the DRC. Faced with these problems, the DRC needs strong partnerships with countries like Botswana to find viable solutions for the well-being of the Congolese people and to ensure a prosperous economic future.