Land use planning is a tool to restore State authority and contribute to the diversification of our economy”, Guy Loando Mboyo (Interview)
Spatial planning is a tool to restore State authority and contribute to the diversification of our economy”.
Guy Loando Mboyo, Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Development of the DRC, discusses the role of large-scale projects underway in the country in the diversification of the Congolese economy. “The quality of infrastructures and services relating to transport and logistics are undeniable factors for the establishment and development of industrial activity.
This is why the State is carrying out major land development projects such as the construction of the deep-water port of Banana, the optimization of the Kasumbalesa border transport terminal or the extension of the urban area of Goma,” he says.
Mr. Minister, in recent months, your ministry has been involved in actions to popularize the National Spatial Planning Policy, the formulation of the draft law on spatial planning or the launch of the REVITE program.
What goals are you pursuing?
Prime Minister Jean Michel SAMA LUKONDE has formed a government team which he has baptized "government of warriors" insofar as, in the face of the pressing challenges facing the Democratic Republic of Congo in terms of development, men and women who rise to the front. I humbly answered present and I have been working on the task since then.
This desire is naturally in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, Head of State, H.E Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who wishes to build a strong, prosperous and united State.
This is the goal we pursue relentlessly.
To achieve this, a specific course has been set by the Prime Minister.
In the immediate future, the current context of a global pandemic creates an imperative for economic recovery and imposes the implementation of systems capable of mitigating health and social shocks for our fellow citizens.
Then we must work to restore the authority of the State as well as to diversify our economy to create the conditions for growth that creates jobs and a source of redistribution of wealth.
What role does the Ministry of State, Ministry of Regional Planning play in achieving these objectives?
For each of these objectives, the Ministry of Spatial Planning plays a vital role since no country can truly develop without mastering its space.
This is why, with all the agents, we have been on a war footing to create an environment conducive to the achievement of the government's objectives thanks to the tools you mentioned: the national regional planning policy which aims to transform the Congo into a territory that is integrated and interconnected with the world, the draft law on land use planning, currently being adopted by the National Assembly, which enshrines spatial planning and guarantees the existence of a framework modern normative, the last dating from June 20, 1957 and, of course, the REVITE program
“Let’s rethink our villages, cities and territories” which invites Congolese, especially those in the diaspora, to invest in the country.
These strategic tools, which have been long overdue, enshrine the principles of good governance such as the transparency of public action and contribute to improving the competitiveness and attractiveness of our territory.
How does land use planning allow the Democratic Republic of Congo to diversify its economy?
I would take an eloquent example.
Today, raw materials, mainly minerals and oil, represent 90% of exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The whole challenge for a country like ours is to transform this situation of dependence into an opportunity.
This necessarily involves processing raw materials locally and better integrating them into international trade value chains through industrial development.
We know perfectly well that the quality of infrastructures and services relating to transport and logistics are undeniable factors in the establishment and development of industrial activity.
If the Congo manages to create a network of major road, river, maritime and airport infrastructures combined with efficient transport and logistics hubs, the conditions will be met to develop industrial activities with higher added value – leading in their wake job creation and territorial attractiveness.
For the State, this is the reason of these major regional development projects, such as the construction of the deep-water port of Banana, the optimization of the border transport terminal of Kasumbalesa or the extension of the urban area of Goma.
*Don't forget the Rin Tin Tin, No small thing, just look at Alphamin, as
Alphamin’s shares rise on expected increase in first-quarter Ebitda
Tin miner Alphamin Resources’ share price on the JSE rose by more than 9% on April 5 after the company announced that it expected to report record earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) of $98-million for the quarter ended March 31 – a 32% quarter-on-quarter improvement.
Contained tin production of 3,061 t was in line with the previous quarter.
Underground mining continued to deliver steady results and processing plant recoveries increased to 78% from 75% in the prior quarter.
Contained tin sales increased by 9% quarter-on-quarter to 3 336 t at an average tin price of $43,813/t.
Alphamin, which owns tin mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will publish its first-quarter results on May 11.