The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country rich in strategic natural resources which are today at the heart of the energy transition and the future of green technologies. The DRC therefore wishes to establish itself as the cradle of humanity through the exploitation of these strategic resources and the establishment of a regional industry for the production of batteries and electric vehicles.
It is in this context that the Congolese Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku, invited Botswana during the Gaborone Economic Business Forum to join the project for the production of electric batteries and electric vehicles in the DRC. Botswana also has the strategic minerals necessary for the manufacture of these products, and could, with the DRC, develop a regional value chain around this industry.
The materialization of this project is a crucial issue for Africa, which still exports its raw materials in their raw state today, without considering the creation of added value on its own soil. By developing a regional industry around green technologies, Africa could take advantage of its abundant resources and play a key role in the energy transition.
To carry out this project, the DRC recently signed a framework agreement relating to the creation of a special economic zone (SEZ) dedicated to the production of electric batteries and electric vehicles. This cross-border economic zone should facilitate the creation and operation of production plants in several countries in the region.
The process of implementing this regional value chain has been initiated since the organization of the DRC-Africa Business Forum in October 2021, and the DRC is thus positioning itself as a solution country with regard to its biodiversity and its strategic minerals.