DR Congo | - Part 4

Heineken Congo Cuts Jobs as It Blames High Taxes, Economic Slump

KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bralima SA, Heineken NV’s subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said it’s carrying out a reorganization to cut costs because of the country’s high taxes and continuing economic slump. The restructuring, which will include dismissals, was announced in a letter Bralima Director-General Marinus Maria Kruijt sent to employees on Oct. 11 that was seen by Bloomberg and verified by the company. The cost-cutting follows the closure of two of its…

Brawls, Autocratic Moves Threaten East African Democracy

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KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ugandan lawmakers brawl over a bill that could create a president-for-life. Tanzania arrests lawmakers and shutters newspapers. And as Kenya tries to rerun a botched election, a ruling party leader says what the country really needs is a benevolent dictator. As unrest and crackdowns plague some of the region’s largest economies, home to various levels of political freedom, the situation is adding to uncertainty in a part of the world already rocked by…

Congo Suspends Insurance Regulator Head, Stymying Industry Plans

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KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo suspended the head of the newly established insurance regulator for financial mismanagement, dealing a setback to the long-awaited liberalization of the industry. Finance Minister Henri Yav Mulang wrote to Insurance Regulatory Authority Managing Director Eric Mboma on Oct. 7 informing him that an audit had found him “guilty of several acts characteristic of bad management.” The findings were likely to result in disciplinary action,…

Congo Elections Won’t Be Held Before April 2019, Commission Says

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KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo that were due last year won’t be held before April 2019, the electoral commission said, a delay that undermines a pact President Joseph Kabila’s supporters made with his political opponents for him to step down this year. The commission said in a statement that it will need 504 days to organize the polls once it completes the enrolment of voters. The body says it has finished…

Congo Halts Sicomines Copper Exports, Orders Local Refining

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KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo ordered Sinohydro Corporation and China Railway Construction Corp.’s local mining venture to stop exporting unprocessed copper and cobalt and refine all its metals within the country. Sicomines must ship “only high-value products” as the government looks to “ensure the prompt repayment” of the country’s continuing $6 billion minerals-for-infrastructure deal with China, Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu said October 2 in response to questions sent by text message….

Congo Opposition Leader Katumbi Will Return to Congo in December

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KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader and presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi said he will return to his homeland in December after more than a year abroad to participate in the country’s delayed elections. The 52-year-old former governor of Congo’s copper-rich Katanga province plans to challenge President Joseph Kabila’s rule of the Central African country on his return, he said at a conference Monday in London. Katumbi has previously pledged to return to…

Congo President Says Progress Being Made in Setting Vote Date

Posted on by The Editorial Team

KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo has made “irreversible” progress in preparing credible and peaceful elections, President Joseph Kabila told the United Nations, without giving a date for the vote whose delay has spurred violent protests. Speaking before the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23, Kabila said that 42 million of an estimated 45 million eligible voters have been registered. An ongoing “series of evaluations of the electoral process” should permit the “forthcoming publication” of…

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