Korean company Solar City discusses projects that can support the development of the mining sector in DRC

The outgoing Minister of Mines Willy KITOBO SAMSONI discussed this Tuesday, February 23, 2021 with a Korean delegation from the company Solar City led by its CEO. On the menu of this interview, the investment projects in Congo proposed by the Solar City Company and see how these projects can directly and indirectly support the development of the DRC mining sector.

According to his cabinet which announced it, it is about: – the production of solar energy plants; – expansion of road and rail infrastructure to facilitate the movement of the population, the distribution of products and the evacuation of mining products; – construction of ports and airports; – the development of boreholes for the collection of underground drinking water; – the development of agricultural villages and agricultural supplies and materials; – the construction of residential complexes around mining projects.

While approving the importance of the proposed projects for the country, the Minister of Mines tried to identify the positive impacts of these projects in the development of the mining sector.

“The projects that have a direct impact are the power station projects and the expansion of road and rail infrastructure since the first will reduce the energy deficit which negatively impacts the sector and the second will allow the easy circulation of mining products and inputs. The subterranean water catchment development project is an interesting project since it will resolve this environmental impact observed most often next to mining sites, which is the drawdown of the aquifer, most often drying up the entire water table. ‘water from the water table used by the surrounding population since it is easy to collect by small wells “, underlined the cabinet of Willy KITOBO.

As all funding requires reimbursement, the Minister proposed that concrete and costed projects be developed to allow the Government to decide on the types of contract that can be signed in partnership with Solar City.

The Minister of Mines provided investment opportunities in his sector by starting from geological research to find new deposits, the development and valuation of dormant mining assets of companies in the State portfolio, valuation of abandoned deep deposits by closing some ZEAs, developing the activities of several PEPMs transformed by mining cooperatives lacking financial means and finally, investing in the infrastructure of local communities impacted by mining projects.