Lualaba Governor Aims to Diversify Economy Beyond Mining Sector
Lualaba Governor Fifi Masuka announced her government’s plan to reduce the province’s economic reliance on the mining sector by creating new businesses.
Speaking on Friday, August 23, during the presentation of her five-year program, Masuka outlined her vision for economic diversification.
Addressing provincial officials at the Lualaba Provincial Assembly, Governor Masuka emphasized the need to diversify the province’s economy, which currently depends heavily on mining.
“My government and I will establish new companies within the provincial portfolio to diversify the economy and lessen our dependence on the mining sector,” she stated in her five-year plan, which includes 13 key areas of focus, particularly in mining.
The governor’s strategy for the mining sector includes promoting and securing the industrial mining industry while financing geological research to enhance the viability of artisanal mining areas under provincial control.
Additionally, the government will focus on building five mining control posts, supporting mining cooperatives in transforming into cooperative societies, and training artisanal gold miners to ensure traceability.
Lualaba, located in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is a major mining hub with large multinationals extracting copper and cobalt—minerals critical for the energy transition and electric battery production.
Governor Masuka’s initiative aims to broaden the province’s economic base, reducing its dependency on this single industry.