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Congo PM addresses current economic crisis

African economy

Congolese Prime Minister Clement Mouamba made a two-day trip to the country’s economic capital of Pointe-Noire, a trip that is part of efforts to revive Congo’s national economy.

The premier visited several companies operating in Pointe-Noire and the greater Kouilou region. The premier also paid a visit to the autonomous port, where he discussed with the port’s management the ambition to see the harbour play an important role in maritime traffic and commerce, despite the difficult economic situation in the country.

“We have a mediocre economy; we will have to take steps to improve our ranking. By improving our standing in the economy, we will see change. The hurdles, the duplications in the creation of businesses, the so-called one-stop shops, these are parallels. We’re tired of all this. We need to get our house in order.,” he said.

Mr Mouamba also met with public administrations, trade unions and local entrepreneurs who came to seek assurance as the country wades through a major economic crisis.

“We like many companies, by tightening costs, lowering tariffs and increasing productivity have managed to get through.
We are in restart mode and therefore expect that the investments are resuming to support this growth. I hope we’ll recover by late 2018,” said Pierre Bellerose, the regional director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics.

The poor health of Congo’s economy is characterized by a decline in growth, as well as difficulty in doing business . Congo sits at the bottom of the Ease in Doing Business rankings, occupying the 179th place.

But this visit is being seen as a visible sign that the Congolese government is keen to establish continued efforts towards recovery of the national economy.