Kinshasa, August 19th, 2025 (CPA).- The Democratic Republic of Congo has lined up, on Tuesday, seven strategic sectorial ministers to accompany the Prime Minister Judith Suminwa to Yokohama in Japan, with a view to attract a maximum commitments for investments in energy, mining, agriculture, innovation, training and culture, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. For these seven government representatives, the statement, it is written, ‘the task is both easy and difficult, insofar as the opportunities are known and the challenges in terms of the business climate, in particular, are not new.’
For her part, Ms Suminwa, who arrived on Monday to represent the Head of State, plans to hold discussions with Japanese officials, but above all with the business community, which has expressed clear needs in DRC. Japan is willing to share its experience, particularly in micro-hydroelectric power plants, with a view to serving villages that are often scattered and sparsely populated across the 2,345,410 km2 of this vast African country (second in size after Algeria).
This justifies the presence of Minister Aime Molendo in charge of Water Resources and Electricity, who has been called upon to improve water and electricity supply rates, which are still below the continental average. Mr Molendo will not fail to reveal the contents of his agenda at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) on the needs of households, but above all of miners.
Prime Minister Suminwa welcomed by Japanese officials on his arrival in Yokohama.
As major energy consumers, Japanese mining companies have ambitions for DRC’s minerals, which are not the preserve of any foreign power. Minister Louis Watum in charge of Mines, who inherits several titles recovered by the State, has an important asset to discuss with interested Japanese investors. At the heart of mining and agricultural activities, the Minister in charge of Land Affairs, who is part of the expedition to the Land of the Rising Sun, will have to reassure her interlocutors about the obligations related to land acquisition and the guarantees attached to it.
DRC regularly loses ground in this area in its business climate rankings. Youth and innovation are areas of interest for both countries. The development is currently linked to the mastery of new technologies. Finally, culture occupies a prominent place, as noted by the Prime Minister’s Office of DRC. The Prime Minister of DRC, Judith Suminwa, has arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday August 18th, 2025, where she is representing President Felix Tshisekedi at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). This major event, scheduled for August 20th to 22nd in Yokohama, will bring together many African heads of State and international partners to discuss the continent’s development priorities.
CPA/