Kinshasa, August 26th, 2021 (CPA) – The President of the Republic, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, left Kinshasa on Thursday, for Berlin in Germany in order to participate, in his capacity as President of the African Union (AU) and in the invitation of Chancellor Angela Merkel to the « Compact for Africa summit of States », scheduled for this Friday in the German capital.
The invitation had been given to him by the Deputy Missions Officer of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in DRC, Lars Gerrit Leyman, during an audience that the Head of State had granted him last month, at the city of the African Union (AU), in Kinshasa.
At the end of the hearing, Lars Gerrit Leyman said that this summit is an initiative of Germany, adopted in 2017, when this country still chaired the G20 group.
« The meeting President Felix Tshisekedi-Chancellor Angela Merkel is an opportunity for the President of AU to speak with African officials and foreign investors, in order to present them the possibilities of investing in DRC », he said.
The contact with high personalities and German economic operators, through the « Summit of States of the Compact for Africa », will undoubtedly boost, we note, the promise of President Felix Tshisekedi to make DRC, the Africa Germany.
According to a source in the presidency, this is a Germany-Africa Economic Summit, which is in its fourth edition after those of Accra (2019), Nairobi (2017) and Berlin (2015), and which aims to create platforms supposed to bring together German and African private investors around promising projects.
Within the framework of development cooperation, Germany supports the management of the Coronavirus pandemic in DRC, with around 6.5 million euros, while its cooperation projects with the country have a total volume of more than 400 million euros, it is recalled.
Europe’s leading economic power, Germany is closely following the actions of the Congolese Head of State and his desire to maintain a privileged partnership with Germany.
During his first official visit to Germany in November 2019, President Felix Tshisekedi was received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He also had a private talk with the head of the German government, Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The advantages of investing in DRC
During this visit in November 2019 to Berlin, the Head of State Felix Tshisekedi presented to economic operators who are members of German employers, in particular industrialists from Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie and the Federation of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the many investment opportunities in DRC and its vision of development based on the diversification of the economy.
While indicating that DRC is a very important country which looks resolutely towards a brighter and more smiling future, he added that it « is very important, both by its size, but also by its population, and also by its geographical position in the heart of Africa, at the crossroads of several sub-regional organizations”.
« There is no better place than my country », he said, adding: « Today, it is a country which is turned towards the development, which wants to get rid of all its terrible memories, these events which delayed its development”.
President Tshisekedi also thanked his interlocutors for the interest shown in his country, while reiterating his wish to see industrialists seize the opportunity offered by DRC for win-win partnerships.
« I really hope with all my heart, to see you again in Kinshasa or elsewhere on the national territory of DRC as partners, as friends, as accompanists of this great development challenge », he had launched.
Germany encouraged to develop relations with DRC
During this same visit, after a private talk on November 15th in Berlin, with President Felix Tshisekedi, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that her country was encouraged to develop its relations with DRC by the good faith of the Head of State of this country which has undertaken « courageous reforms » since coming to power.
While stressing that the German government considers that the work of the new team at the head of DRC is « very positive », Merkel noted that the resumption of contacts between DRC and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also a good sign which strengthens the country’s credibility.
« We are not forcing ourselves, but a good start has been made », said the Chancellor.
According to Merkel, « encouraging results » have been obtained, in particular in the area of infrastructure or in the fight against Ebola in eastern DRC.
The German government, she said, is also offering support to DRC for the sustainable extraction of raw materials and energy supply.
“Preserving the tropical rainforest in the Congo Basin is a major global concern. Germany is making an additional 30 million euros available for the conservation of this natural resource”, said Merkel.
She recalled that the Congo’s rainforest plays an equally important role for the global climate as the Amazon rainforest.
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