The state visit made to Gaborone by the President of the Republic Félix Tshisekedi, accompanied by certain members of the government, made it possible to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Botswana. This visit was an opportunity for the President to immerse himself in the Botswana economic model, which is largely based on the mining sector, and to seek ways to duplicate it in the DRC.
Botswana is world renowned for its mining sector, in particular for its production of diamonds, of which it is the leading producer in volume and value. Indeed, with a GDP per capita of 7000 USD, this country is considered to be a model in Africa in terms of economic organization. President Tshisekedi hopes that the DRC, also endowed with significant natural resources, will manage to reverse the curse associated with them and use them effectively to accelerate its economic development.
During his state visit, the President visited the Jwaneng mine, about 150 km from Gaborone, with the aim of understanding the Botswana economic model and drawing inspiration from it for the DRC. The visit also offered the opportunity for the Congolese delegation to soak up Botswana’s experience in mining, particularly at COPIREP (Steering Committee for the Reform of State Portfolio Enterprises) which recently drew up a revival of the mining activities of the flagship of the Congolese economy, the MIBA.
The President recalled the need to rely on existing models, especially those of countries where the economies have similar characteristics to those of the DRC, to regenerate, improve and optimize Congolese industries. The MIBA recovery plan, which had been drawn up and validated at the 45th meeting of the Council of Ministers in August 2020, must therefore be accelerated to contribute to the recovery of the diamond sector in the DRC.
In short, this state visit allowed President Tshisekedi to draw inspiration from the Botswana economic model, in particular the mining sector, to stimulate economic growth in the DRC. Based on existing models, the president intends to accelerate the transformation of the Anhui Mining Investment Company (SACIM) into a public limited company with a board of directors to strengthen the diamond sector in the DRC.