Building a common and well-structured economic space: this is the shared watchword of the DRC and Angola.
In Kinshasa, economic cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola is aiming to scale up. At the heart of the third Economic Forum between the two countries, Congolese and Angolan authorities express a common ambition: to transform their historic ties and the 2,500-kilometer border into a genuine integrated space of prosperity.
A course that aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and with the will of the two capitals to strengthen bilateral exchanges.
The Congolese Deputy Prime Minister for the National Economy, Daniel Mukoko Samba, stressed the obvious: the two countries share much more than a border of over 2,500 kilometers—a common history, long-standing exchanges, and above all an economy whose destinies are closely intertwined.
For his part, José de Lima Massano, State Minister for Economic Coordination, highlighted the reforms underway in Luanda, including privatizations, investments in infrastructure, and an improving business climate, aimed in particular at attracting Congolese investors.
Among the concrete advances highlighted are the modern Luvo border post and discussions about establishing Angolan banks in the DRC to streamline financial flows. “All these structural reforms and the development of basic infrastructure allow us to reach an unprecedented level of development,” says José de Lima Massano. “In the last two years, the non-oil sectors of our economy have grown by more than 5%.”
But success will depend mainly on the private sector, because it is the companies, through partnerships, joint ventures and industrial projects, that will turn these opportunities into real growth.
An ambitious bet for a common market of nearly 170 million inhabitants that Kinshasa and Luanda now intend to realize.
