Kinshasa, October 18th, 2026 (CPA).- Support for women’s initiatives has been encouraged as a means of promoting local production, under the “Made in Congo” label, during the launch of the first edition of the Wine Fair (Savico), held Saturday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“As a ministry, we must support such initiatives to empower women, particularly Congolese entrepreneurs and young women entrepreneurs,” said Stéphanie Mwabilo, representative of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). “It is already an achievement to see a woman deciding to organize this kind of event,” she added, noting that the ministry’s presence at the event reflected the government’s determination to support women. “Know that our presence here means a great deal. The government is supporting you, the Head of State is behind you, and above all, the Ministry of Entrepreneurship stands with you,” she said. Ms. Mwabilo pledged to forward the participants’ grievances to the relevant authorities for possible solutions.
“We have received your concerns and complaints. We will forward them to the relevant authorities and see how the situation develops,” she added. Asked about support for women who have not yet reached this stage, Ms. Mwabilo recalled that several support structures were already in place. “There are already many initiatives, such as FOGEC, NADEP, ARSP and other structures that support young people. Today, entrepreneurs must understand that the Ministry in charge of Entrepreneurship is putting everything in place to support them,” she stressed. She reiterated the commitment of the Head of State and her ministry to ensuring that no one is left behind in promoting entrepreneurship in the DRC. Everything was ready on Saturday at the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MNRDC) in Kinshasa for the first edition of the “Made in Congo” Wine Fair. According to the organizers, the first edition of Savico aims to bring together Congolese entrepreneurs, wine producers and consumers to promote exchanges, create business opportunities and showcase the diversity of local wine production. CPA/