Augustin MatataPonyo Mapon, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, states:
National economic performance, the orthodox management of public
finances and the concerted efforts of the authorities in combating
corruption were commended by all those I had the opportunity to meet.
On return from his official visit to New York and Washington, from 3 to 9
February, the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Augustin
Matata Ponyo Mapon, held a press conference in Kinshasa, on 14 February.
He talked notably about his meeting with Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of
the United Nations, on 4 February. Concerning the situation in the
Nord-Kivu region, both leaders expressed their agreement on the signature,
planned before the end of this month, of the regional framework agreement
making provision for the deployment of an intervention force in this
province. They additionally discussed a restructuring of the mandate of
the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).
This framework agreement is due to be signed by the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Angola, the Republic of Congo, South
Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic and
the United Nations.The intervention force will be deployed under the
MONUSCO banner and several SADC countries are prepared to provide the
necessary troops', further indicated the Prime Minster.
Concerning the amendment of the MONUSCO mandate, the Prime Minister
who received guarantees regarding the arrival of drones in the region
between June and July expressed his hope that this would allow the UN
troops to intervene in order to ensure peace which is under threat by
armed groups.
Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon also held meetings with several other US
leaders: Chris Smith and Karen Bass (Chair and Vice-Chair of the
Subcommittee on Africa in Congress), Wendy Sherman (Under Secretary of
State for Political Affairs), Robert Hormats (Under Secretary of State for
Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment), Johnnie Carson (Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs), Neal Wolin (Acting Secretary of
the Treasury), William Joseph Burns (Deputy Secretary of State) and Grant
Harris (Special Assistant to the President, Barack Obama, and Senior
Director for African Affairs).The US authorities reiterated their call
to those people who support the armed groups to stop, stated the Prime
Minister.
Concerning the economy, on 7 February, Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon met
with Christine Lagarde, Director General of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), and Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank. After outlining
the economic performance of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the leaders
of these two international organisations expressed their desire to
continue to work alongside the Congolese government.This is a
definitive commitment, indicated the Prime Minister.
On the issue of the suspension of the programme by the IMF, on 30 November
2012, due to a lack of transparency in the mining sector, Christine
Lagarde and Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon both called for fresh
start. The Prime Minister stated: The issue of transparency in the
mining sector will be dealt with within the framework of bilateral
discussions, having already signed two decrees in January outlining the
terms and conditions for the transfer of mining assets.
The Prime Minister then concluded thatunder the leadership of the Head
of State, Joseph Kabila, we are determined to implement new governance”.
Reminder of the main economic figures for 2012.
Between 2009 and 2012, the annual growth rate in the Democratic Republic
of Congo rose from 2.8% to 7.2%, with inflation falling from 46% to 2.7%
(a performance not achieved by the country since 1976). The Congolese
Franc remained stable, and both public and private investments
significantly increased. Tax collections were optimised and public funds
more than doubled, whilst national wealth also doubled. Growth forecasts
for 2013 stand at 8.2%. It is the first time since 1973 that growth in the
Democratic Republic of Congo will rise above 8%.
The government has also launched a series of self-funded programmes which
amount to circa 200 million dollars (agriculture, transportation, energy,
roads, education, etc.). Civil servant salaries have been banked.
Mining production figures have exceeded the historic levels between
1970-1980, with over 600,000 tonnes of copper being produced in 2012.