Appointed to this post on May 28, 2024, Louis Watum Kabamba has initiated a number of reforms in a little over a year designed to improve the environment for small and medium-sized businesses, strengthen the national industrial base and expand the participation of Congolese companies in the economy. Among the key achievements is the launch of the TRANSFORME project with a budget of $300 million. This program aims to formalize, train, and finance 25,000 entrepreneurs, mostly youth and women, with the stated goal of creating more than 75,000 direct jobs. The Ministry has also initiated a reform of SME financing.
A new ministerial decree introduced an automatic financing mechanism for support structures, in particular the Congo Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund (FOGEC), the National Agency for the Development of Congolese Entrepreneurship (ANADEC) and the Agency for the Promotion of the Congolese Middle Class (APROCM). More than seven million dollars have been mobilized to pay off the debts of these institutions. In the same vein, two groups of 150 SMEs received direct financing to support their activities, and the VIJANA program, developed jointly with the Industry Assistance Fund (FPI) and FOGEC, provided the first tranche of $2.5 million to young entrepreneurs.
The Ministry has prepared a revision of the legislation on subcontracting to promote the formation of the Congolese middle class and has drafted a law on local content. This document, designed to increase the participation of national companies in economic markets, was recently adopted by both houses of Parliament.
In the field of innovation, a program was launched to create FabLabs in forty higher education institutions thanks to investments of nine million dollars. The goal is to promote the Student-Entrepreneur concept through the use of 3D printers and other technological tools. Digitalization of services has also begun with the launch of the E-Kazi virtual assistant, designed to simplify administrative procedures for business registration. In parallel, the deployment of «single windows» continues in a number of provinces to bring services closer to entrepreneurs.
According to the Ministry, more than $2 billion worth of subcontracting contracts have been awarded to Congolese SMEs under the supervision of the Private Sector Subcontracting Regulatory Authority (ARSP). Investments were made in the industrial sector to restart strategically important enterprises. About nine million dollars were allocated for the restoration of SUKI in South Kivu, and more than $5.6 million for the revival of SOTEXKI, which opens up the prospects of creating tens of thousands of jobs in the cotton industry. The Government has also supported projects for the production of cement, fertilizers, building materials, beverages and drinking water in several provinces.
The development of special economic zones (SEZs) accelerated, in particular, due to the launch of Pepsi RDC production in the Maluku SEZ and the continuation of work in Kin Malebo, Kiswishi and Musompo. Other measures include the restoration of product conformity control thanks to the «Normes Congo Démocratique» (NCD) quality mark, the resumption of cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the creation of a national registry of artisans.
According to the Government, these reforms have contributed to improving the investment climate, supporting local production and strengthening support for small and medium-sized enterprises. After a reshuffle in the Government, Louis Watum Kabamba was appointed Minister of Mining. According to his closest associates, this new responsibility is a continuation of the government's policy of economic transformation. «The year that has passed marked by the transformation of the sector has prompted the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to entrust him with the Ministry of Mining, which is financially supported by all other members of the government directly involved in the implementation of the presidential DEBOUT CONGOLAIS program». They also note that "In addition to the figures, this first year of service to the country as part of the government showed Louis Watuma's efforts to implement the president's will to make Congolese industry an engine of growth and job creation.
The launched reforms, mobilized funds, modernization of SME support tools, as well as investments in special economic zones under his leadership as industry minister indicate a strategy based on industrialization, innovation and the development of the private sector. Finally, they add: «Although many tasks are still under implementation, such as the expansion of the single Window network, the full digitalization of business registration, the deployment of support structures in the provinces and the establishment of new special economic zones, the observed results, consistent with the vision of the President of the Republic and reinforced by the DEBOUT CONGOLAIS program, open up new dynamics for industry and small and medium-sized businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The same dynamics has continued since his arrival at the Ministry of Mining, where he has demonstrated outstanding results, baffling the sociological services, which record monthly figures above forecasts and estimates, which are confirmed by the facts».
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