The rehabilitation of the Kinshasa International Fair (Fikin) is at the heart of some controversy. Indeed, the Turkish company Milvet responsible for carrying out the work is encountering differences with the Congolese party represented by the management committee of this place. According to our information, the company Milvet would have asked to use a stretch of land of 6 hectares to set up its camp there during the works, which represents a period of 10 years. In the event of exceeding the deadlines, Milvet intends to buy back the space in question.
This requirement from the Turkish group caused the work to be stopped, although it was already well advanced. The company had begun to empty the site of its occupants, drinking establishments, etc. She had even backfilled the ground. The containers of the Turkish firm Milvet, with construction materials, were visible on the Fikin site. The Fikin rehabilitation project includes, among other things, the construction of an exhibition center, an amusement park, a shopping center, a conference center, a hotel, etc. and the creation of a multifunctional arena.
This situation is in addition to the hassle of transporting goods to the former eastern province, the arrest of Salmon Idi Kalonda Della, right arm of Moïse Katumbi, and that of the soldier responsible for the assassination of a student finalist. All this adds to a moral and social crisis already present in the country, accentuated by a difficult economic situation.
However, great initiatives are underway, such as “The Godfather”, a fair dedicated to young Congolese entrepreneurs, or the “special economic zones” to pacify the province of Lituri, and the mobilization against impunity with the trial of soldiers accused of violence.
The country remains plagued by political, economic and social tensions that the authorities are struggling to manage. But many civil society initiatives are inspiring examples to improve the country’s situation.