Kinshasa, May 18th, 2025 (CPA).- The need to set up energy industries to meet the needs of the Congolese people and the mining industry has been raised by the General Director of the National Electricity Company (Snel) at the sixth Katanga Business Meeting (KBM) in Kolwezi, Lualaba (south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo), according to a note received on Saturday by CPA. ‘One of the main topics discussed has been national electrification and the industrialisation of the country. Fabrice Lusinde, Snel’s General Director, has emphasised the need for energy industries to meet the needs of the Congolese people in general, and mining companies in particular, especially those working in Greater Katanga », it is read.
The source has pointed out that demand from these miners exceeds 1,800 megawatts, well beyond Snel’s current capacity, and that it cannot meet these needs. Fifi Masuka, governor of Lualaba province, has emphasised on the need for a public-private partnership with Snel. According to her, this support will provide the public company with the financial and technical resources it needs to meet the energy requirements of the mining sector. With this in mind, the Snel management committee has reaffirmed its determination to do its utmost to ensure the electrification of the national territory.
However, he has pointed out that the realisation of this ambition will depend on the resources that the government will make available. The sixth Katanga Business Meeting (KBM) has been launched on Wednesday May 14th, 2025 in Kolwezi, by the Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, under the theme ‘Building our future: focus on priority objectives’. The meeting brings together players from the mining sector, institutional partners and civil society to discuss the concrete challenges of economic development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.