DRC: Hydrocarbons Scientific Days recommend the revisiting legal framework and the creation of a structure for the management of funds for future generations

After two days of work, the scientific days of hydrocarbons ended on Friday 29 January. Organized under the theme: “the challenges of the development of the Hydrocarbons sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo”, these meetings addressed several issues relating to all links in the oil chain, namely: legal framework, economic framework, upstream oil, downstream oil company, environment, collaboration mechanisms of the Ministry of Hydrocarbons with university institutions in the sector, development strategies for the hydrocarbons sector.

At the end of the discussions between participants, several recommendations emerged, in particular:

• The need to revisit the legislation on hydrocarbons;
• Acceleration of the preparation of missing regulatory acts;
• Develop a program for the construction of hydroelectric dams in order to address the problem of energy deficit;
• Unblocking of gas development projects by electricity in onshore concessions of the Coastal Basin;
• Acceleration of the process of disbursing funds at the level of the Public Treasury for the organization of Tenders
• Improving the business climate in the Hydrocarbons sector;
• Develop a coherent program for the exploitation of renewable energies;
• Create a structure that will take care of the management of the Funds for future generations including students;
• Revitalize the activities of the National Hydrocarbons Company in strict compliance with Law No.15 / 012 of August 1, 2015 on the general hydrocarbon regime;
• Create a permanent framework for collaboration between higher and university education institutions and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons;
• Diversify the resources to be exploited;
• Reconciling oil exploitation with environmental concerns by adopting mitigation and adaptation, in particular resuming discussions with UNESCO; etc.

In his words, the Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Rubens Mikindo promised his support for the materialization of these recommendations.

« “I have grasped and taken note of your rich and enriching resolutions. I promise to analyze them deeply and to work for their gradual implementation. I am already committed to creating a permanent mechanism to perpetuate exchanges between actors in the scientific community and those in the administration of hydrocarbons. I will do my best to ensure that my ministry actively participates in the training of students in the faculties of geology, petrochemistry, oil and gas by facilitating internships and contributing to research or even issuing scholarships for excellence for the best d ‘between them,’ he said in his closing speech.

These two scientific days which brought together scientists, students, politicians and economic operators in the sector, had two objectives, namely: to reflect deeply on the challenges of the development of the Hydrocarbons sector in the DRC on all aspects, legal , economic, environmental; bring the scientific world closer to the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and economic operators in the sector with a view to establishing permanent collaboration in order to promote local skills in the development of Hydrocarbon