During his State visit to the Republic of Botswana, President Félix Tshisekedi had the opportunity to learn about the Botswana economic model. With a GDP of 7,000 USD per capita, this small African country has taken advantage of the organization of its diamond sector to achieve exemplary economic prosperity.
During this visit, President Tshisekedi also had the opportunity to strengthen the historical ties of friendship and cooperation between the DRC and Botswana. Accompanied by members of the government, he also visited the COPIREP (State Portfolio Enterprise Reform Steering Committee) to learn from Botswana’s experience in the industrialization of the economy, in particular in the mining sector.
Indeed, Botswana is a major producer of diamonds, a natural resource also possessed by the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thus, President Tshisekedi insisted on the need to create and increase value chains in this sector. In particular, he instructed the Minister of State, Minister of the Portfolio to accelerate the process of transforming SACIM (Anhui Mining Investment Company) into a public limited company with a Board of Directors in accordance with the instruction given during the 45th meeting of the council of ministers held on August 21, 2020. This transformation will allow the development of this state portfolio company specializing in the production of diamonds.
President Tshisekedi hopes that the DRC can in turn reverse the natural resource curse through economic models such as that of Botswana. Indeed, the economic development of the country depends on the optimization of its natural resources, including diamonds, and the creation of value chains in order to stimulate economic growth and, consequently, to reduce the insecurity which reigns in east of the country.
In sum, President Tshisekedi’s state visit to Botswana was an opportunity to strengthen ties between the two countries and to learn from Botswana’s experience in economic development, particularly in the mining sector. The DRC must take advantage of its natural resources to accelerate its economic development