Fatshimetrie recently echoed a truly remarkable piece of news: the historic export of processed germanium to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Gecamines’ STL subsidiary. This announcement is a major step forward for the DRC’s mining sector and underscores the country’s growing importance on the international stage in terms of strategic metal production.
This export marks a significant milestone, occurring just one year after the inauguration of the Lubumbashi slag heap company’s hydrometallurgical plant. Gecamines’ Chairman of the Board of Directors highlighted the importance of this achievement by stating that STL’s production of germanium positions the DRC as a key player in the global market for this essential metal. This advancement gives the DRC a geostrategic position of prime importance in its relations with its international partners.
In the DRC’s economic panorama, other topics have attracted attention in this issue of Fatshimetrie. In Kinshasa, a lively debate took place around the draft law on the 2024 supplementary budget, sparking strong reactions among the country’s political and economic actors. The Minister of the Budget, Aimé Boji, also spoke to react to these debates and clarify the issues surrounding this draft law.
In Mbandaka, a new power outage in Gbadolite highlights the persistent challenges facing the energy sector in the DRC. This situation underlines the urgency of finding sustainable solutions to guarantee access to electricity throughout the country and support economic development.
Finally, in Bunia, the communications officer of the Transforme project, Jean Luc Mualu, called on the population of Ituri to participate in the COPA business plan competition, highlighting the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation to boost the local economy.
These different topics illustrate the diversity and complexity of the economic challenges facing the DRC. The export of germanium by Gécamines marks a significant step forward in the country’s mining sector, while energy and budget challenges highlight the need for coherent and sustainable economic and energy policies to support the nation’s socio-economic development.