Category: Economy

### Advans Bank and the “Lifanto” account: Invest in the future of Kasai children

In an innovative momentum, Advans Bank launched the “Lifanto” account in Tshikapa, aimed at encouraging savings from the birth of children. This product, much more than a simple account, embodies a desire to ensure a better future for the young generations of Kasai. Eric Kangoma, customer service supervisor, highlights the importance of this account to help families anticipate upcoming educational costs, thus helping to forge a culture of savings and financial responsibility for children.

Faced with difficult economic realities, this account could become a precious ally for families, allowing them to cope with financial challenges while integrating essential educational values. Launching this initiative during the Grand Kasai Cultural Festival enabled Advans Bank to anchor its offer in the community, while raising awareness of the need for financial planning. By investing in financial education, the “Lifanto” account opens the way to a more resilient company where parents can build a promising future for their children.

### The Sacim crisis: revealing the challenges of the mining industry in the DRC

The Anhui Congo of Investment (SACIM), a major player in the production of diamonds in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is going through a deep crisis that highlights the flaws of a mining industry already in difficulty. With restrictions on the sale and a fall in prices, the Sacim fights for its survival, generating a climate of dissatisfaction with its employees and threatening local economic dynamics. Calls for government reform are increasing, highlighting the need for a more competitive market to revitalize not only SACIM, but also a region devastated by the ineffective management of natural resources. In the long term, a reassessment of the economic model, focused on sustainable development and diversification, could offer the key to sustainable stability and a promising future for the DRC. The current challenges of Sacim go far beyond financial problems, relating to social stability and the resilience of an entire community.

** Eid el-Kebir 2025: a reinvented celebration at the heart of the Moroccan crisis **

In the heart of a difficult economic situation in Morocco, King Mohammed VI urges citizens to celebrate Eid el-Kebir without sacrifice, marking a break with tradition in a context of drought and exorbitant prices for sheep. This choice, which affects the life of many homes, invites you to rethink the meaning of this emblematic celebration. Rather than focusing on the material sacrifice, it becomes crucial to find the community and spiritual essence of Eid, by strengthening the bonds of solidarity between rich and poor. While environmental and economic challenges are intensifying, this decision opens the way to a reflection on the future of Morocco, combining cultural identity and adaptation to contemporary realities. Eid El-Kebir 2025 could thus symbolize the beginning of a new era, based on sharing, mutual aid and collective resilience.

** Energy crisis in Maniema: a revealer of the FAILLES of the DRC **

For more than ten days, the province of Maniema has been found in total darkness. The strike of agents of the Audal Society of Kivu and Maniema (Sakima), due to arrears, led to the suspension of the activities of the Rutshurukuru hydroelectric power station, leaving the population destitute. This crisis highlights the serious dysfunctions of the public sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo, exacerbated by a disconnected management of local realities and a lack of transparency. The impacts on the local economy and households are deep, while solutions such as better governance and partnerships with the private sector emerge as the prospects necessary for a sustainable energy future. In this context, a collective questioning seems essential to transform this crisis into an opportunity for change.

** Congolese cobalt: survival strategy or risky game? **

On February 22, 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) decided to temporarily suspend its cobalt exports for four months, a daring movement in a global changing market. The first producer of Cobalt, the country faces a considerable drop in demand, due to the emergence of alternative materials such as nickel and manganese. This suspension aims to stabilize prices and support the artisanal sector, often neglected, which depends on the economic balance of cobalt.

However, criticisms are intensifying in the face of DRC’s dependence on foreign partners, especially Chinese, who dominate the cobalt market. While the duration of suspension seems insufficient to straighten the structural challenges of the sector, the question persists: will this decision be a lever towards a sustainable economic future or a simple reaction to the market crisis? The coming months will be decisive for the DRC, while it is trying to sail through a complex landscape of strategic resources.

** The launch of the agricultural campaign season B: a big step towards food self -sufficiency at the Kongo Central **

On February 28, 2025, MBANZA NGUNGU welcomed the official launch of the agricultural campaign of season B, a significant event for the province of Kongo Central. This launch underpins a collective ambition to promote local agriculture in the face of food insufficiency and competition from imported products.

The importance of this initiative is all the more reinforced by the symbolism chosen: Mbanza Ngungu, former “Thys City”, embodies the agricultural roots and the hope of a future where food self -sufficiency would be achievable. The provincial Minister of Agriculture, Fiston Lubaki, recalled that “food must be our medication”, stressing the importance of nutritional health in the context of this campaign.

Also relying on collaborations with the private sector, such as the local company Luca’s Company Sarl “, this initiative aims to redistribute vital resources while considering a significant reduction in food imports. However, challenges remain, especially in terms of equity in the distribution of resources and resilience to climate change.

In short, this launch is perceived as a potential catalyst for agricultural development of the central Kongo, calling for continuous synergy between stakeholders to transform this potential into reality.

### Ukraine and its rare minerals: a double -edged sword

Ukraine, in the middle of a conflict, is faced with a major economic opportunity with a potential agreement on the exploitation of its rich reserves of rare minerals in partnership with the United States. These resources, vital for modern technologies, raise delicate issues, ranging from national sovereignty to the risks of inequitable exploitation. Opinions within the country are divided: some see it as hope for economic development, while others fear instrumentalization by external interests.

The recent history of other countries rich in resources, such as Congo and Chile, recalls that the management of minerals can lead to human rights violations and internal tensions. For Ukraine, the stake does not only reside in extraction, but also in the ability to guarantee that these resources first benefit from the local population. In the end, the nation must sail with caution between urgent military needs and sustainable economic aspirations, transforming this potential opportunity into a responsible development engine and respectful of its sovereignty.

** SME crisis in Tunisia: between resilience and decline **

Tunisia is going through a critical period for its small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), already weakened by the Pandemic of Covid-19 and now faced with rampant inflation reaching almost 7 %. With 200,000 SMEs in difficulty in 2023, the country faces an economic “permacrium” where the increase in costs, such as those on the poultry market, and brain flight undermine competitiveness and innovation. The inequitable access to funding further complicates the situation for entrepreneurs who, despite their resilience, come up against bureaucratic obstacles.

To straighten its private sector, Tunisia could be inspired by successful initiatives from other emerging countries, while adapting its public policies to stimulate investment and support value creation. It is time to consider SMEs not as simple subcontractors, but as essential pillars of the economy. With concerted actions involving the State, financial institutions and entrepreneurs, Tunisia can consider a future where its SMEs play a key role in the economic and social transformation of the country.

** Hijacking scandal at the central Kongo: a threat to the future of infrastructure **

A recent report from the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) reveals a diversion of 2,068,093.93 dollars as part of the modernization of the Lumumba stadium in Matadi. This scandal throws a shadow on public management at the central Kongo and raises questions about endemic corruption that plagues the infrastructure sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the promises of transparency of the executive head of Judith Suminwa Tuluka, skepticism persists as to the real efficiency of past investigations. The consequences go beyond finance: the stopping of work threatens local employment in a province where almost 48% of young people are unemployed, thus aggravating their vulnerability. This case must mobilize civil society to require rigorous and responsible management of public funds, transforming this challenge into an opportunity to straighten regional development.

** Ituri: Between ambushes and hope of economic renewal **

The territory of Djugu, in Ituri, is again immersed in terror, with recurrent ambushes orchestrated by the Codeco group, targeting transport vehicles on essential roads to the local economy. These attacks, which lead to the theft of important sums of money and establish a climate of anxiety, illustrate growing insecurity in an already fragile context for the inhabitants. Although this violence is not specific to Ituri, the region is distinguished by one of the highest rates of security incidents in Central Africa.

Beyond omnipresent fear, these acts of violence are severely brought to local trade, transforming vital roads into danger zones. Rivore communities are demanding a more effective military intervention, but the solution must go beyond a simple military presence. The example of Guatemala shows that integrated approaches, combining security and economic development, can offer a path to peace and prosperity.

Ituri has the opportunity to rethink its strategies in the face of violence, by integrating initiatives to support local businesses and education programs, while strengthening cooperation between humanitarian actors and the State. The challenge is significant, but it is an imperative to restore the confidence of citizens and allow the region to reconnect with a serene future, where security rhymes with development.