The subcontracting sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the subject of particular attention from various civil society organizations, including the Panel of Experts, Civil Society/Forces Vives, and the Congolese League for the Fight against Corruption (LICOCO). These entities call on the current team of the Regulatory Authority for Subcontracting in the Mining Sector (ARSP), led by Miguel Kashal Katemb, to extend the application of laws on subcontracting to other areas such as hydrocarbons and telecommunications. Their position was clearly expressed in a press release issued in Kinshasa on Monday, September 2.
These organizations certainly recognize the progress made in the subcontracting sector in the DRC, including the increase in the number of registered subcontracting companies with Congolese capital, from 3,000 to 11,000 certificates. However, they remain vigilant about the potential maneuvers that some multinationals could undertake to hinder the positive development of this sector.
The coordinator of the Panel of Civil Society Experts, Dieudonné Mushagalusa, highlights the significant progress made by the current ARSP team under the leadership of Miguel Katemb Kashal. He highlights the change observed, moving from a domination of foreign companies to a facilitation for companies with majority Congolese capital to access subcontracting markets. This has helped reduce financial losses for the Democratic Republic of Congo, estimated at more than eight billion dollars.
Emphasis is also placed on the contracts concluded between Congolese companies and entities such as Kamoa, TFM and Huawei, exceeding a total amount of more than 100 million dollars. These achievements testify to the efforts made and encourage us to continue on this path.
However, it is stressed that the ARSP should not limit itself to the mining sector, but should extend these life-saving measures to other sectors such as hydrocarbons, planning, logistics, telecommunications and any other relevant area. A diversification of actions in these areas would allow a deeper transformation of the Congolese economy and offer new prospects for sustainable development for the country.
By thus encouraging a broader application of subcontracting measures, civil society demonstrates its commitment to a more inclusive, transparent and beneficial Congolese economy for all stakeholders concerned.