The capital of the DRC hosted the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on 17 August. The SADC is the largest regional body in Africa and now comprises 16 countries with the recent accession of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mauritius was not represented.
The meeting between SADC member countries in Kinshasa on 17 August 2022 confirms the determination of leaders to continue their efforts to meet the challenge of industrialisation, which is essential for deepening regional integration.
Under the theme “Promoting industrialisation through agro-processing, the valorisation of minerals and the development of regional value chains with a view to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth”, this summit brought to the head of the SDAC the President of the DRC, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, for a one-year term.
“We have to know that the world, the way it is evolving, is defining itself as a set of several sub-sets. We cannot, as the DRC, in the geostrategic position that we are in, evolve without being able to be a member of these organisations, in particular the SADC, which has more than fifteen countries. It is important that we push to be part of this great GDP, to also benefit from this great free trade market which could help us in the context of the construction that we are doing in our country. Import also some elements of construction and infrastructure and to be able to export what the DRC can give”; said Thierry Monsenepwo, President of the youth league of the Convention of United Congolese (CCU).
