The Democratic Republic of Congo wants to increase its trade volumes with the United Kingdom from less than $100million.
The two countries are currently holding a two-day Economic Forum in the capital Kinshasa bringing together leading multi-sector British companies and the public and private sectors of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Organisers say the forum which will close later today Thursday aims to strengthen economic relations and create partnerships between key players on both sides.
A total of 26 British companies are active in high-growth sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, mining, agriculture and infrastructure.
Jean-Lucien Bussa Tongba, Minister of Foreign Trade, returned to the current state of economic cooperation between the DRC and the UK; “It is certainly true that British capital is indeed present in the DRCongo.
However, the presence of all these investors today indicates a real desire of the British government to make this wish come true as well as of its private sector to expand the portfolio of projects beyond the area currently covered.
“The volume of trade between our two countries is estimated at U$100 million. It demonstrates the existing opportunities suitable for exploitation to boost trade volumes, value and diversity of exportable and importable goods”, the minister of Foreign Trade Bussa Tongba said.
For his part, Ngokwey Ndolamb, Ambassador of the DRC to the United Kingdom, said, “Last October we organized in London a forum of French-speaking countries and the UK on trade and investments. One of the decisions of this forum was precisely to organize these types of missions.”
The British trade mission was led by the British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for the DRC, Lord Popat, and Her Majesty’s Trade Envoy for Africa, John Humphrey.
