Julien Paluku calls on African countries to pool resources and migrate from import economies to local processing of natural resources
The work of the 8th edition of Rebranding Africa Forum ended on Friday, October 21, 2022 at the Parliament of the Wallonia Brussels Federation in Belgium. Focused on the implementation of investment attractiveness strategies by African countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo was represented by its Minister of Industry Julien Paluku Kahongya.
On this occasion, Julien Paluku shared the experience of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the process of setting up a first manufacturing plant for electric battery precursors in the province of Haut-Katanga and setting up Economic Zones Specials that offer tax, para-fiscal and customs benefits to investors, and this, by developing the Industrialization Master Plan of his country amounting to 58.4 billion US dollars.
“At the level of the Ministry of Industry, we felt that from now on, the will of all African countries should be that of starting by transforming our resources at the national level and thus being a partner at the level of added value because at this time , African economies will no longer undergo these fluctuations which are imposed on us according to the moods of each other. Just see today with the Russian-Ukrainian crisis all countries suffer from wheat deficiency, that’s why for example our country the Democratic Republic of Congo has found substitute products for wheat flour, it is cassava bread flour, it may surprise many people here, we started the experiment in the DRC, we did vote for a standard that effectively obliges theintroduction of 5 to 20% cassava bread flour” said Julien Paluku in his speech. The DRC is a solution country. Why country-solution? We have the necessary elements in this energy transition, the first element what we have of the 2nd largest forest in the world after the Amazon, that is to say, we absorb enough carbon dioxide and thus regulate the environment on a global level” he said in his speech to the audience.that is to say, we absorb enough carbon dioxide to regulate the environment on a global level,” he said in his speech to the audience.that is to say, we absorb enough carbon dioxide to regulate the environment on a global level,” he said in his speech to the audience.
And to continue:
the same factory in Poland 65 million USD on the other hand the same factory under the same conditions in the DRC would cost only 39 million USD this means that investing in the DRC in the manufacture of electric batteries costs three times less in the USA, China and elsewhere. The DRC is much more attractive and competitive in this sector.”
Taking advantage of the platform of this forum which brought together representatives of African countries, entrepreneurs and technical and financial partners from other continents, the Minister of Industry called on the countries of the black continent to pool together in order to change the economies of imports to economies of local processing of natural resources.
“We presented to the Council of Ministers the establishment of a Congolese battery council, this will be the governance structure for all these Energy Transition issues, it only remains for the President of the Republic to appoint the leaders of this council which will have within it a technical committee which will be composed of experts from all sides who know the subject well so that we can ensure that the governance of this value chain of electric batteries becomes a structure that is both technical and operational so that “We are moving forward. Between Zambia and us, we are already on the right track and we are inviting other African countries that are producers of these elements that I have mentioned so thatwe are effectively setting up this large regional value chain which will capture world markets,” he said.
For Julien Paluku, speaker at this forum, the lack of infrastructure and energy in this country are opportunities that should be seized by investors.
“We cannot effectively improve the processing of our minerals if there is no such infrastructure or if there is no energy. I have always said that Africa’s problems are not problems but they are opportunities to be seized,” said Julien Paluku.
And to add:
“This forum offered an opportunity “to mobilize all the technical and financial partners, the major bankers who are present and who may have the means but do not know where to channel them, we tell them, countries like the DRC with its 2,345,000 km2, with its 26 provinces, with its difficulties of interconnecting all the provinces, these are not problems but opportunities to be seized.”
It should be noted that André Flahaut, Minister of State, Honorary President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, major partner of this forum and Thierry Hot, President of Rebranding Africa Forum insisted on the consolidation of intra-African trade with the development of channels of values.
