The DRC is about to welcome a Japanese vehicle assembly plant
As part of his participation in the 15th BRICS meeting taking place in Pretoria, South Africa, the Minister of Industry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Julien Paluku, announced the forthcoming establishment of a factory of vehicle assembly in the country. This Japanese company, named UD TRUCKS, aims to meet the growing needs of the Congolese in terms of transport.
During an interview granted to Radio Okapi, Julien Paluku expressed his wish to see this factory set up in one of the three special economic zones of the DRC. In particular, he is considering the cities of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi or a third location in the east of the country. This strategy would make it possible to cover the entire Congolese territory and promote economic development in these regions.
The Minister has undertaken to sign a memorandum with the Japanese company within the next four months, in order to facilitate the rapid implementation of this project. He also offered the advantages of special economic zones to UD TRUCKS, in order to facilitate the import of raw materials necessary for the manufacture of vehicles. Indeed, the installation of a factory in a special economic zone would make it possible to benefit from tax exemptions and reduced customs fees, thus making the products more competitive on the internal and external market.
This announcement is part of the DRC’s industrial development policy, which aims to boost the industrial sector and promote job creation. The establishment of a vehicle assembly plant will not only meet the population’s growing transportation needs, but also stimulate the local economy by promoting national production.
This new initiative demonstrates the growing attractiveness of the DRC to foreign investors, as well as the government’s desire to develop the country industrially. The arrival of this Japanese vehicle assembly plant should therefore be a source of pride and hope for the Congolese, who will thus be able to benefit from quality vehicles, while contributing to the creation of jobs and the economic development of their region