DRC Minister of Finance questioned on “blocking” of the disbursement of credits allocated to the revival of MIBA
Deputy Éric Ngalula Ilunga tabled, this Monday, May 29 at the office of the National Assembly, an oral question with debate addressed to Nicolas Kazadi, Minister of Finance on the “blocking” of the disbursement of credits allocated in the 2021 finance laws , 2022 and 2023 for the revival of the activities of the Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA).
For this elected official, the revival of this company was also a campaign promise of the candidate President Félix Tshisekedi. It is inconceivable that the UDPS in power, this company is still languishing, he says.
“In fact, in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 budget, there are appropriations allocated to the revival of a company which contributed a lot to the war effort in the east of the country between 1996, 1997 until 2002. If this company went bankrupt and is shut down, it’s because it helped save the nation. It is not normal that the UDPS in power, the relaunch of the MIBA having been the campaign promise of the current Head of State, that the activities of the MIBA are not relaunched”, worries the Deputy Eric Ngalula.
The elected representative of Lupatapata wants the Minister of Finance to explain why the revival of the MIBA is not a priority for him.
“As a national deputy, I use my means of parliamentary control so that Minister Nicolas Kazadi comes to explain himself, because it has been three years since the budgets follow one another, and not a single round comes out for the revival of the MIBA. And according to the Minister of Finance, the revival of the MIBA is not a priority expenditure, it is necessary that it comes to justify itself in front of the national representation this argument”.
As for another argument of the minister to be able to pass to the certification of the MIBA deposits before any disbursement of funds allocated to the revival of this public company, the elected representative brushes it aside.
“The MIBA massif represents 45 million carats of reserves. And then today with technology, it’s very fast. What prevents this certification? The government doesn’t have the money for that? No, the minister has no will. In addition, he is not the Minister responsible for MIBA. MIBA is administratively dependent on the Ministry of Portfolio; and the Ministry of Mines, from a technical point of view,” he replies.
The portfolio minister, Adèle Kanyinda chaired, on January 6 of this year, the workshop for the restitution and validation of the recovery plan of the Bakwanga Mining. Valued at more than 450 million US dollars, this plan was drawn up last year by the Steering Committee for the Reform of State Portfolio Companies (COPIREP), in collaboration with the Presidential Council for Strategic Watch (CPVS). and the MIBA Board of Directors.
