Development of DRC’s electric battery industry, the FPI ready to support the African Center of Excellence

Long decried as the Congolese Achilles’ heel, the FPI Industry Promotion Fund says it is ready to finance the bankable research projects of the African Center of Excellence for the Electric Battery Industry recently launched in Lubumbashi, capital of the province of Haut-Katanga.

After the installation of the African Center of Excellence for the Electric Battery Industry by the Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku, Congolese researchers are invited to play an important role in this project.

To do this, the FPI is called upon to support the various research projects that the Polytechnic Faculty of the University of Lubumbashi will present as part of this initiative.

For the Director General of the FPI, Jean-Claude Kalenga, his institution, which is considered one of the major partners in this major project, will urgently fund the African Center of Excellence.

“ We are the secular arm of the Government and our main mission is also to be able to materialize the Master Plan for the industrialization of the DRC. This instrument was made available to the Government through our supervisory minister. And we must intervene to give content to the development activities of our industry. Here we have a framework, an Order that creates this Research Center. he says.

And to add: “ We are waiting for them to present their projects to us. With speed, we will intervene to support and materialize them, because there is a window of opportunity offered to us, the DRC and Zambia ”, he indicated.

According to him, “ we are now looking for other alternative energies, among others, it is electrical energy through electric batteries ”.

He believes that the country must seize this opportunity of the evolution of the electric vehicle market to highlight its potential and make it benefit all Congolese.

Present at the launch of this Center, José Panda, Congolese Minister for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation indicated that the creation of this Center was preceded by an Order which will provide a bridge between industry and the financing of the FPI to the research.

“We have just created this Center of Excellence and Research on the chemistry and technology of electric batteries in the DRC, in collaboration with Higher and University Education. This collaboration demonstrates that research, education and industry will create synergy for the development of the DRC. We were able to create this Center by signing the Order which will provide a bridge between industry and FPI research funding. Because Congolese researchers do not have enough budget. You will notice that in this decree, a provision gives the financing by the Congolese State of this Center. Among the missions of the FPI, there is also the financing of research. This is a bridge created to pool energies and develop the country.said José Panda, Congolese Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.

The Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku, indicated that this project will mobilize sufficient means which are estimated in terms of billions of dollars.

According to him, this project aims to mobilize financial resources estimated at between 8 and 10,000 billion US dollars by 2030-2040.

“ The electric battery sector will mobilize enough resources which are estimated in terms of billions of dollars. I said previously that this project was between 8 and 10 trillion US dollars by 2030 and 2040 ,” noted the Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku.