The article to describe the DRC-Africa 2023 Forum and the recommendations made during this major event in the mining and industrial sector in Africa.
The DRC-Africa Forum 2023 was held recently, bringing together representatives of the mining sector, policy makers and economic experts from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zambia, as well as ambassadors accredited to the DRC. The objective of this event was to improve mining and industrial governance in Africa, with a focus on wealth creation in the battery metals industry value chain.
During these two days of reflection and debate, participants formulated 18 key recommendations to achieve these objectives. Among these recommendations are the creation of a general law on industries, called the Industry Code, in accordance with the Mining Code of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was also suggested to make the DRC an attractive destination for investments in electric batteries by 2040, by pooling efforts with other African countries such as Zambia.
The search for appropriate skills and technologies to support the metals and batteries industry in Africa, as well as the adoption of pooling models inspired by China and the United States, were also recommended. Participants highlighted the importance of measuring and certifying mineral deposits according to economically profitable plans, as well as increasing the continent’s supply of battery metals.
Other recommendations included implementing an action plan for financing research and development of green technologies, encouraging dialogue between mining companies and technology companies in the mining value chain , improving governance of the mining sector, improving profits from Congolese mining and reviewing the management of funds intended for the development of local communities.
Finally, the creation of special economic zones to promote a favorable business climate and the integration of small savings and funds repatriated by mining operators into public investments were also recommended.
The DRC-Africa 2023 Forum was an important opportunity for economic and political actors to debate the issues of mining and industrial governance in Africa. The recommendations made during this event represent concrete avenues to improve wealth creation in the battery metals industry and promote economic development in the region. This is an important step towards better exploitation of mineral resources in Africa and sustainable transformation of the industry.