cannot see the "possible" paths to do so. The Democratic Republic of
Congo is expected to grow at 6% in 2012, far outpacing growth in
Western markets, according to the IMF. It is a country rich in
minerals, land, and water, as well as possessing a consumer market in
excess of 70 million. Charlotte Africa Business Week strives to
demystify this French-speaking country to attendees to promote
business opportunities benefitting both foreign firms and local DRC
firms.
"People are often surprised at the growth rate in DR Congo because of
the focus in the media on the conflict minerals and issues with
militias in a small region there," says Lauri Elliott, Director of
Afribiz Media, "If people looked at a map and appropriate scale of DR
Congo, they would begin to understand this accounts for a small
portion of the country."
DR Congo is a post-conflict country not unlike Sierra Leone, which has
made tremendous progress in the last five years. "The key to unlocking
business opportunities for firms is for them to understand the ways to
do business there," says Elliott. "It is not impossible to do business
in DR Congo. It is only that firms cannot see the 'possible' paths to
do so."
A special focus session on doing business in DR Congo is scheduled for
Doing Business in Fast-Growing Africa: A Focus on Regional Markets and
Economic Hubs on Friday, April 27, 2012 in Charlotte, NC. The DR Congo
delegation is being led by Kabala Muselemu, Deputy Manager of the DR
Congo Ministry of Mines, and Ambassador Jules Mbungu, DRC ambassador
to Libya.
The business representation among the DR Congo delegation includes
Claude Ibalanky, CEO of Bantu Investments, who has successfully
franchised Nando's restaurants (a global brand from South Africa and
also franchised in the US) in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo.
Ibalanky will share how to transform the large informal, cash market
in DR Congo into a profitable retail market from his own experience.
For further information and to register for the conference, go to http://www.afribiz.info/content/doing-business-in-fast-growing-africa-a-focus-on-regional-markets-and-economic-hubs
.
For further information on Charlotte Africa Business Week, visit http://www.charlotteafrica.com
.
