Congolese Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde recently represented the President of the Republic at the fifteenth BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa. This meeting brings together emerging countries which represent 40% of the world economy.
Accompanied by the Minister of Industry and the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance, the Prime Minister brought a message from the Congolese Head of State, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, during this summit. The objective of this meeting was to enlarge the BRICS bloc to new members in order to counterbalance the influence of the G7 and G20.
On the sidelines of the summit, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde also took part in several business and diplomatic meetings with heads of state and government interested in the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as the opportunities offered by the country’s special economic zones to foreign and domestic investors.
For example, the Congolese Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku Kahongya, traveled to Pretoria, South Africa, to meet the Japanese company “UD TRUCKS”, which specializes in vehicle assembly. Following this meeting, the Japanese company expressed its intention to settle in the DRC in order to benefit from all the advantages offered by the country.
In addition, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the DRC and South Africa, establishing a timetable for strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
This fifteenth BRICS Summit also welcomed the presence of several political authorities of international renown, such as the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, the President of China, Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
In conclusion, the participation of the Congolese Prime Minister in the fifteenth BRICS Summit demonstrates the importance attached by the DRC to its cooperation with emerging countries. This participation has established new economic and diplomatic prospects for the country, thus strengthening its presence on the international scene