DRC: Félix Tshisekedi raises George Arthur Forrest to the rank of “Grand Cordon” in the national order of Kabila-Lumumba national heroes

On the occasion of 100 years of anniversary of the General Company Malta Forrest “EGMF”, George Arthur Forrest, president of the Forrest International Group, was elevated, Wednesday, September 7 in Kinshasa, to the rank of “Grand Cordon” in the National Order of National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba, by the Chancellor of National Orders, on the orders of the Head of State Félix Tshisekedi.

He was elevated to this rank for “his eminent and loyal services” rendered to the Congolese nation by contributing to national development through the company Malta Forrest but also as an entrepreneur who contributed to the creation of several jobs.

The ceremony was punctuated by the opening of the book: “A century of dreams: together let’s build the future”, by George Forrest, brought to the baptismal font by the historian, Professor Isidore Ndaywel.

George Arthur Forrest hailed the initiative of the Head of State to award him this oh so significant rank.

“It’s a great honor and a recognition of everything we’ve done with our industrial and social activities. It’s a reward for 100 years of existence, of hard work and the work we’ve gone through. My reward is also that of all the workers and our collaborators who feel this merit”, he declared to the press.

In its outlook, it still remains ambitious. Georges Arthur Forrest intends to invest more in agro-industry.

“I am in the process of developing agro-industry very strongly. Today we have more than 60,000 head of cattle on almost a million hectares. We have 10,000 hectares of maize, a flour mill and 1,500 hectares soybeans. We have a factory that manufactures 36,000 tons of biscuits, the largest factory in the Congo. Our goal is that we want finished products made locally so that we no longer import products. And we intend to export our products one day. The DRC is not a mining country to begin with. It is an agro-industrial country”, he said.

For his part, Malta David Forrest, CEO of the Forrest Group, dwelt in his speech on the future of the DRC, which he considers bright. 

“The history of the Forrest group is that of strong men. The success of the Forrest group is also that of the Congo. It is our country. We, the 3rd generation of Forrest, children of this country, strong in this past of which we are the guardians, we have our eyes fixed on the future which is bright for the Forrest group and the Congo. We bring with us the promise of a better life”, he insisted. 

100 years of existence

1922-2022, 100 years to the day that the General Company Malta Forrest (EGMF) was born in Kolwezi, in the province of Lualaba. This company, counted among the great Congolese industries, shared with the Congo the euphoria of independence, the decades of prosperity, it is therefore part of the history of this great country. 

Thanks to its expertise in the sectors of public works, civil engineering, construction, crushing, prefabrication of concrete products, the EGMF has participated in the construction of hundreds of kilometers of roads, engineering structures, buildings, airfields in Central Africa as well as road infrastructure.

It also contributes to reducing the unemployment rate in the country by favoring local employment of nearly 2,000 people, 98% of whose staff are of Congolese nationality.

The EGMF has in its bag of achievements that testify to its effectiveness in the public works sector. These include: Renovation and extension of the Kalemie airport runway; the construction of the Nyemba bridge, a major economic axis which connects the east to the west of the Province of Tanganyika; Construction of a 26 km long bypass road for the city of Kolwezi, intended for mining and industrial traffic; Construction of the Peaceful Alternation Bridge in Kolwezi, etc.

Groupe Forrest International continues to set up initiatives that support the Congolese State in its development mission.