Kolwezi, May 29th, 2021 (CPA).- The adviser to the President of the Republic at the scientific research college, Prof. Richard Musombo, called on Congolese universities to put all the science into social and political reforms as well as the development of government programs. Prof. Richard Musombo made this statement at the opening Thursday in the Immaculata room of the commune of Dilala in Kolwezi, province of Lualaba, of the international conference under the general theme « Natural resources and environment: Contribution and counterpart of Africa to the contemporary development of humanity”organized by the University of Lubumbashi (UNILU) in collaboration with that of Kolwezi.
The vice-governor and interim governor of Lualaba Ms. Fifi Masuka Saini who thanked the Universities of Lubumbashi and Kolwezi for the organization of these meetings in her province. The rector of UNILU, Prof. Gilbert Kishiba Fitula said that these meetings want to enlighten the population to discover the action of African, national and local decision-makers for better governance of the natural resources abounding in Africa, as well as the protection of the environment, with regard to its role in the preservation of biodiversity and the fight against global warming. The choice of Kolwezi, capital of Lualaba, according to the rector of UNILU is justified by the qualifier of world capital of cobalt. By 2035, the cobalt market will be multiplied by twenty-four, according to studies, added Kishiba Fitula. And the DRC alone has 72% of the world production of this precious metal, not to mention other strategic minerals.
He expressed the wish that this conference serve as a bridge between scientists and decision-makers so that the legitimized political action of proven knowledge and based on sustainable solutions evolves in the world of knowledge, putting an end to the contrast between rich countries to the very poor people. He also recalled the urgent priorities of the African Heads of State, in particular the safeguard of the Congo Basin, the preservation of the great green wall against the advance of the desert by the fight against deforestation and desertification in sub-Saharan Africa, the rehabilitation of the Lake Chad basin suffering from a triple ecological, security and socio-economic crisis, and preservation of natural resources. This conference brings together scientists from certain universities in the Congo including the University of Kinshasa, the higher institutes of medical techniques of Lubumbashi and Kolwezi, as well as those from universities in Africa and Europe face-to-face and by videoconference, stakeholders policies, national and international organizations in the environmental and extractive sectors. ACP/Fng/nig
