Fatshimetrie, October 28, 2024 edition – At the 17th Business Forum of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) held recently in Bujumbura, the Minister of Foreign Trade of the Democratic Republic of Congo raised an ambitious proposal: the creation of investment banks to stimulate the economic development of member countries.
Julien Paluku, Minister of Foreign Trade, stressed the importance of moving to the stage of mobilizing financing through the establishment of these investment banks. It thus aims to boost key sectors such as infrastructure, energy and agriculture, while exploring new avenues of financing such as carbon credit.
The central theme of this forum, “Accelerating regional integration through the development of value chains in the areas of climate-resilient agriculture, mining and tourism”, gave rise to rich and constructive discussions. Member countries are invited to clearly identify production basins and promote the development of these strategic sectors.
In his inaugural speech, the Prime Minister of Burundi, Lieutenant-General Gervais Ndirakobuca, stressed the importance of developing value chains in agriculture, mining and tourism to promote economic growth and poverty reduction. He welcomed the initiative of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, which have undertaken an ambitious project in the field of the battery and electric vehicle industry, thus opening up new economic prospects for Africa.
This forum therefore provided an opportunity for COMESA member countries to reaffirm their commitment to regional economic development and cooperation. The creation of investment banks could prove to be a key lever to stimulate growth, strengthen infrastructure and promote the development of key sectors such as agriculture and energy. This bold vision opens up new perspectives and demonstrates the willingness of African nations to unite to meet the challenges of development and economic prosperity.