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DRC: Julien Paluku explains the expectations of the Government on the holding of DRC Africa Business Forum

The Congolese Government intends to benefit from the signing of contracts between stakeholders, buyers and financial companies during the DRC Africa Business Forum. This was indicated by the Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku, during the animated briefing, this Monday, November 22, 202, in the company of his colleague from Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya.

Indeed, this briefing was organized with the objective of enlightening the opinion on the expectations of the Congolese Government on this Forum which opens this Wednesday November 24 to close on Thursday November 25, 2021 at the People's Palace.

First on board, the Minister of Industry presented the potential of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fight against climate change.

“The world today has a great demand for batteries. Electric cars therefore contribute to the fight against pollution with reductions in greenhouse gases. And once again, the DRC is at the heart of this energy transition, because all the raw materials that go into the composition of these electric cars are found here in the DRC. These include cobalt, lithium, manganese and nickel, ”he said.

To him to add: "the Democratic Republic of the Congo holds nearly 2/3 of the world reserve of cobalt estimated at nearly 25 million. Demand across the world is located by 2025 at nearly 145 million electric cars and by 2030 at nearly 250 million vehicles. However, the demand for cobalt will also drop from 130,000 to 250,000 tonnes. Regarding lithium, it is in the DRC that we find the largest reserve in the world located in Manono in the province of Tanganyika with nearly 400 million tons of lithium, ”explains the head of the Ministry of Industry.

Thus, faced with all this wealth that the DRC possesses, the Congolese Government is waiting for a pilot factory to be installed in Lubumbashi. This will begin to capture the first productions of cobalt and lithium.

AVZ International is also expected to sign a partnership agreement with the Government to start operating the luthium in Manono. As the file has already been presented to the Government, only the signature remains.

This partnership foresees not only the exploitation of lithium, but also the transformation with the economic zone of Manono, the rehabilitation of the Pianamwanga power station and the road which goes from Manono to Kalemie and even the development of the railway to facilitate the evacuation of minerals.

Major contracts with AfreximBank, which manages major financial transactions, are also expected.

According to the Minister of Industry, this Forum is intended to be a kind of advertisement for the African continent as the cradle of the production of electric cars in the world.

It is also an opportunity to put around the same table those who are in the sector of the production of electric batteries, the financiers (the AfDB, AfreximBank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa (BADEA ) and other financial structures that will help and support the DRC in setting up this value chain called “regional value chain around the battery market industry”.

According to Julien Paluku, this channel is said to be regional because it does not only concern the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but all the other African countries which are producers of minerals so that the DRC is the center of this new battery industry. .