Lubumbashi, October 13th, 2025 (CPA). – Sustainable tourism as a pillar for economic recovery and diversification was highlighted on Monday by the National Minister in charge of Tourism, during the launching of the 5th edition of Congolese Tourism Week in Lubumbashi, in the province of Haut-Katanga (south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo).
‘Sustainable tourism is an essential pillar for the recovery and diversification of our economy. It is through tourism that we will be able to create jobs and promote the natural and cultural wealth of our country,’ has declared Didier Mazenga Mukanzu, National Minister in charge of Tourism. ‘On behalf of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, and on my own behalf, I would like to pay tribute to the Head of State, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, for his enlightened vision of making DRC a global tourist destination,’ he has added. Didier Mazenga has reminded that Congolese tourism has enjoyed great success and renown during the colonial era, marked in particular by the holding of the first International African Tourism Congress in Bukavu in 1936, and also remembered that Congolese tourism has also flourished between 1965 and 1975. According to the Minister in charge of Tourism, this initiative is in line with the vision of the Head of State, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who sees tourism as a strategic lever for diversifying the national economy and creating jobs for the benefit of Congolese youth.
The symbolic significance of Tourism Week welcomed
National and provincial authorities
Speaking in turn, the Provincial Minister in charge of Finance of Haut-Katanga, Mr John Muloba Kitonge, representing Acting Governor Martin Kazembe, has welcomed the symbolic significance of this event for the province and for the country. ‘For too long, DRC has been defined and identified solely by one of its riches: its mines, of all kinds, gold, diamonds, copper (…). Today, we are proudly gathered to affirm that Congo is much more than its mines,’ he has said. He has specified that holding Congolese Tourism Week here in Lubumbashi, in the heart of Haut-Katanga, is a strategic and symbolic decision. Above all, it is an opportunity to shift the national and international focus and prove that the tourism potential of our provinces is equal to our ambitions. This event, which runs from October 13th to 17th 2025, aims to promote the Congolese tourism sector through a series of exhibitions and economic and cultural activities designed to showcase local potential. After Lualaba, Kinshasa and Kongo Central, the province of Haut-Katanga is hosting the fifth edition of this national event this year, confirming its status as a major tourist destination thanks to its many natural, historical and cultural assets.