Kinshasa, February 4th, 2026 (CPA) – The launch of Project Vault, initiated by the President of the United States of America, was welcomed on Wednesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, by a national deputy and member of the Economy, Finance, and Budget Control Committee (ECOFIN), according to a statement received by CPA on Wednesday. “I welcome this initiative launched by the White House, which will potentially bring significant benefits to the national economy and the Congolese people,” said Éric Tshikuma, national deputy and member of the ECOFIN committee. According to him, this project, which aims to attract foreign direct investment, will bring the commitment of Ivanhoe Mines and collaboration with international partners, consolidate the credibility of the DRC to attract other foreign investments, which will certainly strengthen the Congolese mining sector as a key player in the global market and, consequently, influence other sectors of the economy in a dynamic of diversification of our economy. He noted that in terms of job creation, the development of the Kipushi mine and the export of minerals will lead to the creation of many jobs, both in mining itself and in ancillary sectors such as logistics and services for subcontracting SMEs. “To this end, the revenues generated by exports of zinc concentrate and other critical minerals will increase tax revenues for the Congolese Treasury, enhancing our government’s capacity to finance social priorities, infrastructure, and other development projects. The sale of these mining products to the US will not only boost our exports but also support our trade balance, » he said. “With regard to infrastructure development, the boom in mining and export activities will encourage investment in local infrastructure (roads, energy access), which will also benefit local communities in accordance with the legal requirements in force,” said Mr. Tshikuma. According to him, strengthening local capacities through collaboration with Gécamines will ensure the transfer of skills and technologies for mineral extraction and processing, as well as modern local capacities in resource management and exploitation. Mr. Tshikuma indicated that international exposure will bring participation in a project of the scale of “Project Vault” and will increase the visibility of the DRC on the international stage, enhance its natural resources, and attract more interest for other future projects. Taking all of the above impacts into account, it is clear that this project presents opportunities to support our country’s sustainable economic growth and improve the quality of life of the Congolese people.
Finally, he encouraged the government to continue economic reforms with a view to improving the business climate.
“I encourage the Judith Suminwa government to relentlessly pursue economic reforms and better regulation, with a view to making the investment environment more attractive and sustainable in the interests of our people,” he said, while stressing that the National Assembly will exercise close parliamentary control to ensure that resources are managed responsibly. “I would like to emphasize that our National Assembly will exercise close parliamentary oversight to ensure that these resources are managed responsibly and that the economic benefits are maximized, so that the opportunity is truly beneficial to the Congolese people as a whole,” he concluded.