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Bertrand Bisengimana

President, CCIFC

Hélène Duffar Champredon

General Director, Franco Congolese Chamber of Commerce and Industry

"With the difficulty of obtaining visas and the prohibitive cost of the airlines, it is difficult to come here."

TBY talks Bertrand Bisengimana, President, and Hélène Duffar Champredon, General Director of CCIFC, about the digital economy, investment in the DRC, and expectations of investors entering the market.

How does the Chamber of Commerce promote the digital economy?

Two years ago, we made a connection with the general manager of the French school École42 in Paris. Now, we have a project to build a French computer school in Kinshasa. It is called École42 and it is mainly for coding. This is a project supported by our Chamber of Commerce. The population of Kinshasa is young with 20 million inhabitants. There is a real demand, but we need a public or a private sponsor. We had a connection with the new Prime Minister to try to obtain support from the government, and we have contact with local banks.

Is the chamber well connected with other countries in Africa?

The French Chamber is connected with all French Chamber of Commerce abroad. A few months ago, the general manager was in Nairobi to meet the general managers of Africa and the Middle East.

What are the biggest advantages for international investors to incorporate in the DRC?

The DRC needs significant infrastructure, formality, and more goods and services. There is a huge opportunity to come to Congo-Kinshasa to sell goods and services. There is so much opportunity here and we are trying to attract French companies specifically to the DRC. That is the meaning of the French Week in Kinshasa. We have the collaboration of the French ambassador in Kinshasa, and the Congolese ambassador in Paris because most French companies are unfamiliar with the DRC.

Why should investors keep investing in the DRC?

The first thing is the market. If you have a telecom company launched in Congo-Kinshasa, it is because there is a big market and a state of growth, which are both important. For example, if the income of the population increases, people will consume more. We have about five new hotels from Accor. Novotel was finished in Kinshasa in September 2023. Another was finished in Lubumbashi. In 2025, it will be in Kolwezi, and afterwards, there will be two Ibis, one in Kinshasa, and one in Goma. For example, the big DRC Mining Week conference is in Lubumbashi the and Novotel in Lubumbashi was competitive. So, there is a market. We have significant cobalt reserves in Kolwezi and then the biggest mining company, Glencore, is in the province of Lualaba in Kolwezi.

How is the Chamber promoting diversification about the offer in the DRC?

Regarding tourism, we have a French school called Vatel about hotels. A few weeks ago, we organized a meeting with the new minister of tourism and the general manager of Vatel Kinshasa.

Would you say that most of your diversification efforts are geared towards attracting tourism and mass consumer goods companies?

The first thing is not about attracting tourism, but rather to give another image of DRC. With the difficulty of obtaining visas and the prohibitive cost of the airlines, it is difficult to come here. But, the new minister of tourism studied in Canada and is very open-minded. In this government, we have many open-minded politicians, such as the prime minister, minister of economics, minister of tourism, minister of industry, and minister of mining. There is an opportunity for DRC to have a minister able to speak with foreign investors.

What should international foreign investors know before coming to the DRC?

The first thing for a French company is to discover the DRC. The first thing is not to invest or sell goods and services, but simply to discover the DRC. If the companies come for just one week or three days and contact with local businesspeople, it could be interesting for them to come back again later and to begin to work with people. For example, the big market in Kinshasa is called the Grand Marché de Kinshasa. It was built by a Congolese company, but this company works with French companies. The French company does not have as much risk when it works with a Congolese company that pays for the services and taxations. The next step, after you come to discover the DRC, is that you want to work with local companies to create a synergy. The first step, though, is to discover the DRC. Many people are not familiar with the DRC, but there is potential in the economy and there is a demanding sector. For example, the Accor Group wants to install five hotels here within the next few years, but Accor will not be investing in the DRC directly. Instead, it is a local company, but once they finish the building, Accor will manages these hotels for the Accor Group. The risk is in the management, but not in the hotel itself. The real estate is owned by a local company.

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