MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE: MINISTER JULIEN PALUKU KAHONGYA WAS THIS TUESDAY IN FRONT OF STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF CONGO-UCC DEVELOPING THE THEME “HOW CAN FOREIGN TRADE STIMULATE PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY IN THE DRC: ANALYSIS OF POLICIES AND STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES »
The Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, was this Tuesday, April 21, 2026 in front of the students of the Faculty of Economy and Development of the Catholic University of Congo-UCC and University Professors, in a scientific morning focused on International Trade, around the theme "How can Foreign Trade stimulate productive capacity in the DRC: Analysis of policies and structural challenges", in the amphitheater of Limete full to the brim.
To boost foreign trade, which is the lever for the economic growth of a country, the Democratic Republic of Congo must support its economy on agro-industrial with its 80 million hectares of arable land to thus increase the volume of its exports on the international market, not on mines which are exhaustible, insisted the Minister of Foreign Trade, while adding that the Government has conquered several markets including Chinese, British, Emirati and American with AGOA, on which products made in DRC are exempt from customs duties.
Responding to the various concerns, Julien Paluku Kahongya made it clear that the competitiveness of Congolese products on the world market requires compliance with international standards, hence the Government, with the support of its partners, is strengthening the training of producers and exporters on the ground on sanitary and phytosanitary standards, he added.
Concerning the DRC's accession to the African Continental Free Trade Area-ZLECAF, the Minister rather reassured that the country is in the process of putting in place sectoral public policies to increase productive capacities and local transformation, thus avoiding being a dumping ground.
This initiative to bring the Government closer to the scientific world was highly praised by the academic authorities of the Catholic University of Congo-UCC.
