Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi reaffirmed his country’s commitment, the DR Congo, to regional integration in Africa. The Congolese head of state launched this message in his speech on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), during the presidential panel of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group (ADB).
« In the DRC, we fully subscribe to the ideal of regional integration in Africa. Because we are convinced that it is essential for the development of our continent. 18% for inter-African trade is in my opinion a very low figure which means that we must improve not only for the benefit of our economies but also in terms of human development », said Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi.
This position of the Congolese Head of State is welcomed as long as it inscribes the DRC in a perspective that requires it to meet some major challenges, prior to the effective integration of his country into the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). ).
Priority challenges
Experts from the African Development Bank and other analysts believe that the DRC, a country with a coastal economy and rich in natural resources, should redouble its efforts to expand its port facilities, including storage and recycling facilities. customs administration ; increase the efficiency of maritime services and the loading and unloading of containers.
The other challenge in the context of industrialization and diversification of the economy is to increase the speed and reliability of rail and road networks by reducing congestion and delays at checkpoints, and dispatch to the maintenance of trucks and rolling stock.
Also, should it implement the basic principles of the National Resource Charter and cooperate to harmonize the taxation of oil, gas and minerals to avoid a race to the bottom and overexploitation that is associated with him.
Fundraising
Faced with the need for African countries, including the DRC, to have adequate infrastructure to facilitate African integration, there is a dire need for financial means. As each country moves to find fundraising mechanisms to keep pace, financial partners should also increase their capacity to support states.
In this regard, the Congolese Head of State did not go to extremes: « I would like to plead for a general increase in the capital of the African Development Bank Group to enable the AfDB to promote and to further facilitate economic growth and development in Africa. »
As a reminder, the ZLEC, signed by nearly 50 countries at the AU Summit in March 2018, together with the Kigali Declaration and the Free Movement Protocol, creates an African market of 1.2 billion people, with a GDP of $ 2.5 trillion.
This could boost intra-African trade by 52% by 2020, benefiting African producers, consumers and traders.
The presidential panel discussion focused on the theme: « How to boost economic integration in Africa? President Théodoro Obiang (Guinea), Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini Prime (Swaziland), His Majesty King Letsie III (Lesotho) and Akinwumi Adesina, President of the ADB Group, participated in this high-level exchange.
Eric TSHIKUMA
