As soon as the dust raised by the last presentations had dissipated, that the scene of Abu Dhabi hastened to reveal a shiny picture of promises. The 14th edition of AIM Congress 2025 saw the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) making a shattering entry, like a lion out of its den to roar on the international scene. And yet, in the bursts of this sparkling window, nowhere the echoes of the less glorious truths have been heard.
It is true, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, the Prime Minister, was able to capture attention with promises of a changing country, spearhead of a promising market of more than 250 million inhabitants. But by walking the winding roads of foreign investments, it would be unlikely not to ask a crucial question: behind these flamboyant statements, what real assessment is hidden?
It should not be forgotten that the DRC has a reputation, a tumultuous past which, like a cannonball, remains hung on its ankles. Decades of corruption, armed conflicts, and unwarmed promises have left deep scars in the country’s economic fabric. The entry of investors in this uncertain framework could succeed in invigorating a nation or, on the contrary, strengthening the extractivist dynamics already well anchored.
The technical coordination and mining planning cell (CTCPM) fervently evokes natural resources – coltan, copper, cobalt – wonders buried in Congolese soil. But beyond the mining relationships, it is rumored that the benefits of these mines do not flow like water in the rivers that crisscross the country. How much is really donated to local communities? How many people are still fighting to survive, while international investors rub their hands with the benefits gathered?
The renewable energy projects presented by the ANSER sound like a well orchestrated melody, but they mask a bitter reality. Have we ever really taken the time to question the distribution of electricity in a country where millions of Congolese still live in darkness? The ambitious electrification projects of remote areas are part of a fair framework, but that only clarifies the light of already glaring inequalities.
Are fiscal and customs incentives, applauded by anapi with enthusiasm, really an asset? Or a way of seducing investors without really attacking the roots of economic discomfort? The Public-Private Partnership Consulting Unit (UCPP) promises a secure business environment, but who exactly? Large companies? And what about the small and medium-sized Congolese enterprises, which, on a daily basis, are struggling to sail in a hostile ecosystem?
Judith Suminwa ends his speech by launching a vibrant call: “Investing in the DRC is now!” A sentence that resonates like an attractive slogan, of course, but who calls for questioning: investing for whom? For what ? Should the future of the country be built on the ashes of an extractivist model already well oiled, or can we hope for a real change, qu224 twenty?
The challenge is colossal. The DRC has all the cards in hand to become a lighthouse of opportunities, but it will require more than optimism and well -crafted promises. What is needed is a real commitment to reform in depth, a desire to end impunity, corruption, and transparency that has been lacking for too long. Without this, the rain of promises is likely to turn into a storm of frustrations, in a country already experienced by decades of disappointments.
So, at a time when the DRC seems ready to seduce investors, the question remains latent: what type of development do we really want to see emerging in this rich, but so often unloved country? The echoes of the past could well be more powerful than the songs of future future.