DRC: Félix Tshisekedi considers revision of certain mining contracts
The Head of State met with local authorities in his visit in Kinshasa, but also mining operators. In a popular meeting, at the Mwangeji crossroads in the center of the town of Kolwezi, he also mentioned the various contracts.
“It is not normal that those with whom the country has signed exploitation contracts get richer while our populations remain poor,” he said.
And to add:
“It is time for the country to readjust its contracts with the miners with a view to sealing win-win partnerships”, declared the President of the Republic without mentioning the companies concerned.
At the beginning of May, Félix Tshisekedi had exchanged on the phone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The two men had also, according to sources of the Presidency of the Republic, mentioned the economy of the mining sector. This telephone interview took place in the entourage of the Congolese head of state, pressure is being exerted in particular to review the famous Chinese contracts signed under Joseph Kabila.
“The DRC and Africa should not be the battleground of the powers. Let us be vigilant to those who cry out for fighting and seek to create hostility,” Zhu Jing, Chinese Ambassador to the DRC, questioned this Friday on Twitter. .
The other important thing around this issue is the governance of the mining sector. Although the DRC has initiated reforms to strengthen the governance of natural resource management and improve the business climate, the country ranks 183rd out of 190 countries in the Doing Business 2020 report, and the main governance indicators remain poor , notes the World Bank.
