Patrick Tambwe Onoya, a Congolese entrepreneur working in the USA and head of the business firm, Le Patron, gave some aspects to consider in order to do good business in the USA. He addressed Congolese economic operators who met last weekend in Beatrice Hotel as part of Trade Show, the USA-DRC Economic Forum organized by Easy Commerce and the new Chamber of Commerce.
According to this businessman, economic operators have a lot to learn to emerge in the American environment.

First, it is essential to communicate well about the DRC. According to Patrick Tambwe, the American political world knows the DRC well. But unfortunately, the economic world does not know it well, which means that American economic operators do not master the workings of the economic sector in Félix Tshisekedi’s country. Basically, the lack of good communication outside.

Secondly, Congolese economic operators must differentiate between the American economic system and that of the DRC. The American economic system is modular, i. e. it is based on a chain of intermediaries. This has the advantage of making opportunities more reliable and the risk is reduced. While the Congolese economic system is more than 60% informal, there is a problem of access to information.

Third, this head of the business firm, Le Patron, still notes some positive aspects that encourage American businessmen to invest in the DRC. There are mining resources in particular, which are the main focus.

In addition to this, the demographics, 60 million consumers are not insignificant. The geographical location is also a major asset, the position of the DRC facilitates access to other African countries. Finally, the improvement of the political situation. The peaceful handover of power has given hope to many foreign investors who are comebacking in the country.

Fourth, as a Congolese entrepreneur operating in the United States, Patrick Onoya notes bitterly that there are still some grey areas that tend to tarnish the image of the DRC and that we must at all costs cut back to encourage American investors to come to the country. He cites corruption, this scourge that must be fought against; the improvement of the financial system because, in his opinion, it is still rudimentary. It also encourages a strengthening of bilateral agreements.

Fifth, in order to help Congolese businessmen wishing to evolve in the USA, Patrick Tambwe proposes four phases to consider for a project to succeed. First, there is the presentation of opportunities, which is sanctioned by an agreement in principle. Then, there are in-depth discussions and development of the general framework for collaboration.

Afterwards, the documentary phase of the project takes place, where feasibility studies must be requested, and legal and tax aspects must be considered. Finally, the agreement will be implemented, depending on the type of contract.

To perpetuate these exchanges on US-DRC trade, Patrick Tambwe Onoya proposed the creation of a permanent framework for monitoring and evaluating economic exchanges between the two countries; the intensification of reforms to move the DRC’s economy from informal to modular; the establishment of a public-private information system; and support for strengthening bilateral DRC-US actions.

Nadine FULA