By Nankwanga
Eunice Kasirye
Members of the
World Bank, United Nations Development Program, the U.S Embassy and other
foreign diplomats toured facilities and assessed the progress of the new
Sicomines joint venture, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) first
“infrastructure for minerals” partnership.
Sicomines Sarl,
a joint venture between Congolese mining company Gecamines SA, China‘s
Sinohydro and the China Railway Group Limited, oversees the project, which
includes the construction and operation of two copper plants in Katanga
province.
The tour included a walk through
the Sicomines plants, which are expected to start production in the fall of
2015 with an initial copper output of 50,000 tons annually, gradually rising to
an expected 400,000 tons over the next two decades.
The Sicomines plants represent a
critical development and capacity-building endeavor for the DRC, employing 3,000
workers, 70% of whom will be Congolese.In addition, the Sino-Congolese joint
venture will disburse approximately $3 billion for the construction of roads,
dams, hospitals and schools, including infrastructure projects such as the
Busanga hydroelectric project.
The progress made by the
Sicomines partnership reinforces the DRC’s commitment to strengthening and
professionalizing its mining sector, and to help increase accountability in the
industry. Production is expected to be initialized in just a few months.
The project is offer global market,
job opportunities, it also offers tax revenues for the DRC, employs local labor
and the shared experience facilitates the knowledge transfer needed.
In partnership with the World Bank and the
IMF, the DRC has implemented liberalizing reforms designed to increase business
activities and create jobs across the country, including reforms in key
industrial and commercial sectors. The
country’s’ infrastructure is being rebuilt at an unprecedented rate, with new
roads, schools, and hospitals under construction.
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