The friendship between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China is not new, however, it is growing stronger over time. Indeed, the official visit of the President of the DRC Félix Tshisekedi to China was the starting point for the signing of several partnership agreements between the two countries.
La Sino-Congolaise des Mines (SICOMINES) is one of the pillars of this friendship. Its objective is to contribute to the well-being of the Congolese people. For this, it is determined to respect its commitments in terms of social responsibility by carrying out projects of public interest contained in its specifications signed with the local communities impacted by its activities.
The results are already visible in the territory of Lualaba, in the former Katanga, where SICOMINES is established. The implementation of around twenty projects with a direct and visible impact has been implemented since 2021, the year in which their specifications were signed with the local communities.
Projects such as the construction of a technical school, the agricultural mechanization project, the support project for maize producers, the projects for the rehabilitation of dykes and roads, the construction of a hospital, the supply of drinking water , among others, are in progress.
It is important to note that some of these projects have already borne fruit, such as the supply of drinking water. SICOMINES has succeeded in bringing drinking water from boreholes to communities that had never had access to it before.
Small villages such as Kaya 1, Machini, Biwaya, Mapendo and Mutaka now have a new life thanks to these large-scale projects carried out by SICOMINES in less than two years. The latter thus shows its willingness to comply with the laws in force in the DRC and to assume its social responsibility.
This fine example of the assumption of social responsibility shows that SICOMINES is truly committed to ensuring the common development of all in the DRC, a recommendation of the Chinese government vis-à-vis all Chinese companies established in the country.
It is essential to emphasize that the critical health situation in the DRC has been an obstacle to the completion of certain projects. However, SICOMINES’ determination to fulfill its commitments in terms of social responsibility is clear, and its projects bring real change to the lives of local communities impacted by its activities.