DRC-China: towards closer cooperation in vocational training

From November 20 to 22, 2024, the northern Chinese city of Tianjin will host the World Conference on the Development of Vocational and Technical Education.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), represented by its Minister of Vocational Training, Marc Ekila, intends to take advantage of this strategic event to broaden its prospects for collaboration with the People’s Republic of China in a key area: vocational training.

Supporting development through skills!

Marc Ekila underlines the importance of this conference for the DRC, a country committed to diversifying its economy.

“We came to this conference not only to exchange experiences and see how to develop new skills in new sectors and new areas of life, but also to sign a number of memorandums of understanding between our two countries to establish our collaboration in the field of vocational training”, declares Minister Marc Ekila.

For a country like the DRC, rich in natural resources but facing structural challenges, the development of technical and professional skills is an essential lever for creating jobs and improving the competitiveness of its economy.

Cooperation with China, a world leader in vocational training and technological development, offers a unique opportunity to modernize this sector and meet the growing needs of the labor market.

Memorandums for concrete action!

One of the key objectives of this conference is the signing of memorandums of understanding between the two nations. These agreements could lead to concrete projects such as the creation of technical institutes, technology transfer, and the improvement of training infrastructures in the DRC.

For Chinese companies operating in the DRC, this collaboration is also strategic, providing them with a locally-qualified workforce for their activities in the mining, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.

Flory Musiswa