DRC President Inaugurates ‘Suprême Automobile’ Factory
The President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, inaugurated the “Suprême Automobile” factory specialized in the assembly and manufacturing of Mercedes Benz bus bodies, on Saturday, June 10th in Kinshasa.
The establishment of this company in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a historic event that comes more than 30 years after the departure of the American automobile giant, General Motors, and marks the return of an automobile industry to Congo.
It is the realization of the vision of the Head of State who wants to make the DRC a prosperous state through progressive industrialization.
“Our joy is immense to see the automobile sector, which was one of the flagship industries of the Congolese economy, finally revived because the government’s objective is to significantly reduce vehicle imports through local production and thus bring foreign exchange to the country,” said Julien Paluku, Minister of Industry.
This factory has a production capacity of 25 buses per month and meets the standards of the prestigious German brand Mercedes Benz. “The DRC will now have its own high-end buses, sturdy and equipped to face the conditions of road traffic,” said Jérémie Agito, production manager of Suprême Automobile.
This company has created 500 direct jobs for young Congolese people. President Félix Tshisekedi, who was delighted with this, would like to see more and more “Congolese technicians being trained to fill skilled jobs.”
The establishment of Suprême Motors is just a step that paves the way for other similar projects. It confirms that the improvement of the business climate in the DRC is a reality recognized by foreign investors.
