Kinshasa International Fair: rehabilitation work stopped
The rehabilitation works of the International Fair of Kinshasa (Fikin) have been stopped in the DRC. In question: persistent differences between the Turkish company Milvet and the Congolese party represented by the management committee of this tourist site.
According to information relayed by sources familiar with the matter, the Turks would like a space for exclusive use of six hectares going from the Plazza space to the Fikin esplanade for a ten-year occupation. The company also requires an elastic deadline for carrying out the work and reserves the right to buy back the premises if the fixed time is exceeded.
Some Fikin officials confirmed this information by saying that the Milvet company would be ready to pay 60,000 US dollars each month for the rental of these six hectares. When the work began, the company had nevertheless emptied the site of its occupants and proceeded to backfill the land. The containers containing the construction materials of the Turkish firm were visible on site.
The Fikin renovation project includes the construction of an exhibition center, an amusement park, a shopping center, a park of nearly 21,000 m², a multifunctional arena of 20 000 seats which will also include an exhibition center of nearly 21,000 m². Work was already underway.
Despite this mixed situation, there is hope for the modernization of the Fikin. If this renovation is successful, it would allow the creation of a conference centre, a shopping center and a hotel which would contribute to the development of local and international tourism. The Congolese party and the Milvet company will nevertheless have to find common ground so that the work can resume.