Downtown Africa
Several senior African leaders called for “turning the dream into reality” at the business forum on batteries and electric vehicles in Africa, called “DRC-Africa Business Forum”, which opened on Wednesday in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic. of Congo (DRC).
The President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, inaugurated the forum alongside his Zambian counterpart, Hakainde Hichilema, representatives of the heads of state of Gabon and Morocco, and the president of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, whose institution is a partner of the event.
“This Forum is a real opportunity to agree our views on the challenges of development in Africa and on the process of structural transformation of the continent. It provides an adequate framework for moving from brown growth to green, more resilient and diverse growth, ”said President Tshisekedi. He stressed that the global transition to a green economy was a requirement.
“Africa has 60 types of minerals and has a third of the world’s mineral reserves,” he recalled. This meeting gives us the opportunity to capitalize on investment opportunities. Better integration of mineral producers will help increase wealth and create jobs and new skills for young people, ”added Félix Tshisekedi.
The Zambian president said he was convinced of the “fundamental benefits” that the forum would produce for the continent. He called on African countries to seize the opportunity to transform their mineral resources. “The goal of this dialogue is to change things. We need to add value to our products, which we haven’t done for centuries. Now we have to break the image of a mere continent that produces raw materials, ”said Hakainde Hichilema.
Recalling that Zambia was “ready to invest, to cooperate with the DRC and with the other countries of the sub-region on this objective”, President Hakainde Hichilema outlined several lines of work, among which: encourage and facilitate investments; implement the vision of transformation and the aspirations for the strengthening of collective production capacities; develop continental policies and instruments to support the transformation of raw materials, in partnership with development partners and banks; undertake key reforms.
“We remain mobilized with other partners to support the development of the battery industry in Africa, starting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said the president of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina. Electric vehicles are a revolution and a unique opportunity for Africa to transform its natural resources into sustainable prosperity for all. Which in itself would be a great revolution. Let’s step on the pedals! Let’s accelerate and turn this dream into reality! “
The DRC – Africa Business Forum is organized by the Congolese Ministry of Industry, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, Africa Finance Corporation, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the African Legal Support Facility and the United Nations Global Compact.
The event intends to provide solutions to improve the living conditions of Africans by developing value chains linked to the mining resources used in electric batteries (cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, graphite). A way to take advantage of the global transition to green energy, the use of electricity in transport systems and the decarbonization of economies.
This article was from a press release distributed by Afdb.com. You can start earning money by becoming our Independent Reporter or Contributor. Contact us at IR@downtownafrica.com
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