DRC a strategic partner for SA

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Pretoria - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a strategic country to conduct business with, says Deputy Minister of Energy Thembisile Majola.

Speaking at a business seminar in Kinshasa in the DRC, on Monday, the Deputy Minister said the two countries have an important relationship through the bi-national commission, as well as other agreements in place to support the growth and trade between the two.

“South Africa regards the DRC as a strategic market and partner due to the enormous potential that exists between the two countries driven by the mining, reconstruction of roads and energy infrastructure, as well as the impact of the agricultural campaign launched in 2012. Notwithstanding the global challenges, the DRC’s economy has remained strong with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 8.6% in 2014,” explained the Deputy Minister.

The seminar is part of the 7th Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) which is organised by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). The ITI is one of the South African government’s initiatives to increase trade between the two countries.

She highlighted that the business opportunities brought on by the many projects in the DRC, including the Grand Inga project, call upon business people to work hard to enhance relations.

Deputy Minister Majola also said that South Africa offers opportunities in the energy, information and communication technology, beneficiation and agro-processing sectors, among others.

The Minister of Economy in the DRC, Modeste Bahati, has urged South African business people to take up existing opportunities in the DRC.

The Minister said the South African businesses should not focus only in Katanga province, but should explore the many opportunities that lie in the other provinces of the DRC.

He highlighted that the DRC had put in place legislation to assist investors to set up in the country, including the incentive framework, the one-stop shop for registration of businesses as well as frameworks for investor protection.

The ITI, which kicked off on Monday, will conclude on Saturday. - SAnews.gov.za