[EDITO] – Industrialize the national economy and ensure national integration, particularly in terms of infrastructure. These are the two to be taken up by the Congolese government before opening the national barriers to the Continental Economic Free Trade Zone (CFTA). While some African countries will start lowering their tariff barriers to create a long-term common market, others, such as the DRC, are not yet. There is no point in running as long as this economic space is gradually implemented.
Indeed, this common market could ultimately affect the 55 members of the African Union, or 1.2 billion individuals, making it the largest free trade area in the world. The objective is to reduce tariffs on 90% of products and to achieve an increase in trade in goods by 60% by 2022.
Industrialize first
With a population of more than 80 million and surrounded by nine neighboring countries, the Congo offers enormous opportunities for countries that are preparing to pour quality products. However, the Congolese economy is very weakly industrialized and does not offer competitive products in the African markets either.
Hence, the first challenge will be to define an effective strategy and mobilize the resources needed to diversify the economy from the perspective of developing higher value-added industries that are both local and regional.
Sophisticated analysts believe that it would be suicidal for a state like the DRC whose industry is not competitive to expose its economy to competition. This could lead to an increase in imports without being able to offer anything in return, stifle small producers and cause the public treasury to lose the considerable share of tariff revenue.
Urgency to integrate the country
It is no secret that the DRC suffers from a glaring lack of transport infrastructure of economic interests. Those that exist, inherited from colonization and / or rehabilitated, are used instead to export raw materials to other continents.
In view of the opening of the barriers to the CFTA, it is imperative for the Congolese State to invest in the construction of internal roads according to the different economic poles to open, bridges, railway lines, … But also ports, railway stations, air terminals, airports, etc.
The purpose of national integration is to facilitate the mobility of people and their goods across the country without difficulty, regardless of the means of transport to be used. It is also necessary to fight against the insecurity that undermines these economic paths of interest and the illegal taxation barriers that hinder trade as well as corruption.
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All in all, the Congolese executive is invited to engage the State in this process of opening the borders with great finesse, if he really wants to prevent the economic takeoff of some African champions to the detriment of the DRC , under-industrialized country and lack of products « made in DRC » to offer to the regional market.
Voices are raised to encourage the head of state to set the Congolese people on its strategic planning to lead the country towards the achievement of this goal.
Tshisekedi: “We fully support the ideal of regional integration in Africa”
As a reminder, the ZLEC officially entered its operational phase on the occasion of the African Union (AU) summit which was held in Niamey, Niger, from July 4 to 7, 2019. By its geographical position at the crossroads of several subregional organizations, says the Presidency of the Republic, the DRC has an important role to play in the African integration advocated by all heads of state within the organization.
Eric TSHIKUMA