By Kiki Kienge
It was during the handover ceremony and resumption with the former administration of COMINIERE (La congolaise d'exploitation minière) which took place on Monday, August 21, 2023 in Kinshasa, that the new staff now at the head of the company, unveiled its ambitions for the renewal of the Congolese state company which since the end of tin mining under Mobutu's Zaire, remained only a shadow of oneself.
With the discovery of the richest deposit of hard rock lithium on the world level, ore already certified through the joint venture, DATHCOM including the Australian partners of the group, AVZ MINERALS which provided their financial and material means for the international certification of Manono lithium through its feasibility study. COMINIERE has seen its dreams of ambitions of international greatness come true, and why not compete with the Congolese cobalt and copper mining giant like Gécamines!
After at least four years of indecision on the establishment of a management team of COMINIERE, the Head of State Felix Tshisekedi decided to appoint the new staff of the company with Mrs. Lisette Tshibwabwa one of his relatives as President of the Board of Directors and Céléstin Kibeya as General Manager.
At the ceremony of transfer of power after reading the ordinance appointing members of the Board of Directors and the Management Committee, as well as minutes, to participate in particular the representative of the Minister of the Portfolio, Mrs. Adèle Kayinda, Ministry in charge of Congolese State Companies, the Management Committee and the staff of COMINIERE.
After reading the ordinance appointing members of the Board of Directors and the Management Committee, the outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors wished the new management team every success:
"What I can say and I implore Madam President, to continue the recovery and especially to make operational, so that COMINIERE effectively becomes a mining producing company. That way we could not totally do without partnerships, at least we have our own company that works and talks to each other in parallel with its partners. »
The new PCA, Lisette Tshibwabwa Kabanga praised the work of the outgoing team and promised to spare no effort so that COMINIERE becomes again with its lithium, one of the major companies of the country that contribute to the development of the country:
"In my capacity as Chair of the Board of Directors, we will humbly ensure that COMINIERE meets the challenges and difficulties related to its future by allowing it to benefit; First, what it deserves in terms of law, property, communication, image and to rise to the category of large-scale companies. The Board of Directors will not fail to strive to ensure that COMINIERE is a model management company. »
COMINIERE hopes that under the leadership of engineer Célestin Kabeya Kabemba, accomplish its sovereign missions and realize its Manono lithium project in the province of Tanganyika, including making DR Congo the world center for energy transition through this strategic mineral.
