The Congo N’est Pas à Vendre (CNPAV) coalition held a press conference on June 2 in Kinshasa to denounce the opacity of the selection process for oil block operators in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This coalition notes four irregularities in this process, in particular the attribution of blocks to companies without proven technical and financial experience, and the violation of article 189 of the law on hydrocarbons which requires that the project pass from convention to regime of production sharing at the time of renewal.
The CNPAV therefore calls on the government to promote full transparency to avoid costly mistakes that negatively impact the lives of the Congolese people. The opaque procedures have already cost more than 857 million dollars to the DRC, and this without it having obtained the slightest certification of oil reserves.
The coalition believes that the DRC’s oil sector requires in-depth studies before deciding whether to exploit it or not, especially in a global context where the impact of fossil fuels on climate change is controversial. For the CNPAV, transparency and accountability should be emphasized in all decisions related to the exploitation of natural resources.
It should be noted that the DRC is facing a significant debt due to the complacent granting of oil blocks in the past. This coalition therefore advocates the end of all opaque negotiation practices likely to compromise the lives of present and future generations.
This position of the CNPAV comes in a context of debates on the management of natural resources in Africa, while being essential to transparency and accountability in decision-making relating to the exploitation of resources in the DRC.