Akinwumi Adesina’s visit to Kinshasa by the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has the merit of strengthening the bilateral partnership between the DRC and this financial institution fighting against poverty in Africa. Good governance supported by the fight against corruption is one of the pillars of this « new-look » collaboration.

Indeed, the President of the Republic, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi and the President of the AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina have, in a dialogue with the Congolese private sector and other development partners, reiterated their commitment to walk together towards the success of this bilateral partnership . It is about enhancing inclusive and sustainable economic growth in line with the five priorities of the AfDB.

« The only conditionality for me is good governance. If there is good governance, money will not be a problem. I want the investments to come to Africa, in the DRC, like a plane that landed without any turbulence. We need to improve the business climate. There are risks, of course. But, we must know how to reduce risks (projects, financial, markets, policies, etc.) », said the president of the ADB.

La @AfDB_Group insiste sur la BONNE GOUVERNANCE dans le cadre de son partenariat avec la #RDC | @Presidence_RDC @akin_adesina pic.twitter.com/WvycRJ5qLo

— Eric Tshikuma (@erictshikuma) June 20, 2019

Convinced that the perception of people who deplore risk is not necessarily the reality, Akinwumi Adesina reassures that his institution is behind the African countries to push them to accelerate development.

He insisted: « I do not accept that Africa remains the museum of poverty. We must not tolerate the comparative advantage of poverty but the creation of wealth. »

Although the AfDB President is pleased to see considerable efforts in implementing structural reforms in various sectors to improve governance and the business climate, the Congolese head of state remains committed to fighting corruption especially by changing mentalities.

« The unhappiness of the Congo also depends on what the Congolese have done themselves in their country. If we do not put Congolese at the center of their concerns, all other reforms will be in vain. To reassure serious investors, we must begin this fierce fight against corruption », said Felix Antoine Tshisekedi.

@fatshi13 : «Il faut que nous entamions ce combat acharné contre la corruption en #RDC» #ClimatDesAffaires @AfDB_Group @akin_adesina pic.twitter.com/b0oElW5bWT

— Eric Tshikuma (@erictshikuma) June 20, 2019

In the process, other decisions that accompany reforms, in addition to the infrastructure that will be put in place, include the DRC’s application for membership of the Community of East African States to facilitate the movement of people and goods and support this economic growth.

In this process, the African Development Bank intends to support the realization of integrating projects both at national and regional level. And it will be up to the DRC to redouble its efforts to meet the challenges in line with its vocation as a world economic power.

Eric TSHIKUMA