The rehabilitation of the International Fair of Kinshasa (Fikin) is suspended due to differences between the Turkish company Milvet and the Congolese party represented by the management committee of this tourist site. According to concordant sources, the work does not respect the agreed terms: the Turkish company Milvet requires the managers of Fikin to set up a camp with an area of 6 hectares for an occupation of 10 years. Time and cost issues are exacerbated by excessive demands that exceed the initial Fikin rehabilitation project.
The Turkish firm had however begun the work. The site had been emptied of its occupants, and Milvet containers containing construction materials were seen at the scene. The Fikin rehabilitation project includes an exhibition center, an amusement park, a shopping center, a conference hall, a conference center and a hotel.
The timing set for the realization of this project is elastic and it is planned the construction of a multifunctional arena of 20,000 seats which will include an exhibition center of nearly 21,000 square meters. Despite the complications, the Congolese authorities remain committed to investing in the modernization of Fikin and hope to quickly resolve differences with Milvet.
At the same time, other news in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been in the news in recent weeks. The “Proudly N’dundu” festival has returned to Kinshasa for a new edition, with the aim of raising public awareness of self-acceptance. Opposition leaders are also calling for citizen mobilization before the December 2023 elections, while demonstrations are being suppressed, as evidenced by the arrest of Salomon Idi Kalonda Della.
Moreover, the inauguration of Turkish President Erdogan, at which the DRC was represented, strengthened the ties between the two countries. Finally, the rehabilitation of the Kinshasa-Matadi railway and the fight against impunity for armed groups are also on the agenda of the Congolese authorities. Security problems remain a structural issue for the country, as evidenced by the deadly terrorist attack in Beni and the assassination of a former president of civil society in Butuhe, in the province of North Kivu