As the Vice Governor of Haut Katanga Province Jean-Claude Kamfwa Kimimba pledges to work with the Zambian government to remove trade barriers between Zambia and DR Congo
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo – MINISTRY of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Mushuma Mulenga has assured importers and exporters from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) of a safe and conducive trade environment between the two countries.
And Vice Governor of Haut Katanga Province Jean-Claude Kamfwa Kimimba has paid glowing tribute to President Hakainde Hichilema for considering DR Congo an important trade partner.
Meanwhile, Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Acting Director General Albert Halwampa has disclosed that the Agency is working on modalities for increasing the frequency of trade missions to DR Congo and spreading the trade tentacles to other towns in DR Congo.
Officially opening the Zambia-Democratic Republic of Congo Trade Mission at Hypnose Mall in Lubumbashi, Mr. Mulenga disclosed that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Government of Zambia will do everything possible to put in place policies aimed at creating a conducive trade environment.
“I would like to assure the importers and exporters from both countries that the two governments will do everything possible to facilitate trade and put in place policies aimed at ensuring that the private sector conducts business in a safe and conducive environment,” he disclosed.
Mr. Mulenga revealed that the Zambian government and Congolese government had been holding series of bilateral talks to address the trade barriers between the two countries.
“DR Congo remains Zambia’s number one destination market for Non-Traditional Exports with NTEs averaging over US$ 800 million annually,” he said. “Despite these seemingly high export volumes, the two countries have not yet fully reached their peak in trade relations. This is evidenced by the many problems related to cross-border trade at Kasumbalesa Border such as limited operating hours resulting in fleet congestion. In addressing these challenges, our two countries have continued to have bilateral meetings aimed at resolving them. Recently, our two Ministers of Trade met in an effort to find lasting solutions and enhancing trade facilitation.
Mr. Mulenga cited the resolutions of the meeting between the Zambian and Congolese Trade Ministers as increasing operating hours from 12 to 18 hours, simplifying the trade regime in order to facilitate cross-border trade, implementing the Bilateral Trade Agreement signed in 2015, creating special Economic Zones and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements between the two countries.
He thanked the Zambia Development Agency, Zambian Consulate in Lubumbashi, Federation des Entreprises du Congo, Government of Finland, ABSA Bank Zambia PLC and the Accelerated Growth for SMEs in Zambia (AGS Programme) for facilitating the trade mission.
Mr. Mulenga urged the Zambian companies to fully exploit the three day trade mission to negotiate trade leads, deals and transactions.
In a separate development, when he paid a courtesy call on Zambia’s Ambassador to the DR Congo Friday Nyambe and Consul General Felix Siame, he stressed the need to not just end at talk of considering DR Congo to be a trade partner but go deeper, think outside the box and come up with strategies for becoming DR Congo’s competitive trade partner in the region.
And speaking at his residence in Lubumbashi, when Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry Mushuma Mulenga paid a courtesy call on him, Vice Governor of Haut Katanga Province Jean-Claude Kamfwa Kimimba said the decision by President Hakainde Hichilema to consider DR Congo an important trade partner will help the Congolese government to reinforce their resolve to remove trade barriers between Zambia and DR Congo.
Mr. Kimimba particularly appreciated the statement by President Hichilema to consider the Congolese as partners and Zambia’s major customers.
“I appreciate the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, the idea of trading with the Democratic Republic of Congo is a good idea and there is a big opportunity for Zambia, we will remove the trade barriers,” he declared.
Mr. Kimimba said Zambia could make more money in DR Congo from Agriculture than from Mining.
“You can make more money from agriculture here than from mining, you need to invest in agriculture, produce maize for us and produce mealie meal. The price of mealie meal here is double your price,” he advised.
He explained that DR Congo had a huge population of over 100 million people whose main food was nshima.
“You have a chance to do very well in business in this area,” Mr. Kimimba explained.
He appealed to the Consul General at the Zambian Consulate in Lubumbashi Felix Siame to reach out to his office regarding challenges that Zambians experience at the Kasumbalesa Border when travelling into DRC.
Meanwhile, ZDA Acting Director General Albert Halwampa said during the official opening of the Zambia-Democratic Republic of Congo Trade Mission that the Agency had plans to increase the frequency of the trade missions to DR Congo, even spreading tentacles to Kolwezi and Likasi.
Mr. Halwampa who thanked ZDA’s partners for making the trade mission possible, reaffirmed ZDA’s commitment to hand holding the Zambian enterprises, offering technical advice till they got their first trade and export deals.
The Federation des Entreprises du Congo pledged to work with ZDA to facilitate business linkages between the Congolese and Zambian businesses.
The first cohort of over 52 Zambian enterprises from all over Zambia, even from as far as Luapula are already in DR Congo, courtesy of ZDA and its partners to secure market access for their products. Enteprises led by women and the youth are part of the group. The aim of the trade mission is to secure market access for Zambian products in DR Congo. The trade mission is part of the implementation of the N8 +1 Export Strategy to increase Zambia’s Non-Traditional Exports (NTE’s) in the region.
-Ends
Issued by:
Laura Mushaukwa Hamusute
Communications and Public Relations Manager
Zambia Development Agency
Privatization House, Nasser Rd
Lusaka
Telephone: +260-211-220177/222858
Email: laura.mushaukwa.hamusute@zda.org.zm
