Congo PM Suminwa: Economic blocs must end rivalry, complement each other

“Our regional economic communities: Eccas, Comesa, SADC and EAC, must not be competing, but complementary, and work together, building bridges of communication,” she said.

Ms Suminwa said regional integration should not be an abstract concept given that regional economies are linked.

“Our destinies are linked, our peoples are linked,” she told the audience at a High-level Conference on economic integration and lasting peace in Kinshasa on Friday.

The meeting, organised by the Congolese Ministry of Regional Integration and private sector partners, was held on the sidelines of the 9th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). Congo currently holds the ICGLR presidency.

Ms Suminwa said that Kinshasa has sought to place economic diplomacy at the heart of its development agenda, “for we know that there can be no lasting peace without development, and that there can be no development without infrastructure, trade, employment and economic inclusion.”

The Great Lakes is home to some of the world's largest reserves of strategic minerals, significant water resources and a vibrant young population. But, the region has suffered conflict, divisions and inequalities.

Congolese leaders have been striving to change the conflict narrative, with Ms Suminwa saying: “The history of our region must no longer be written under the sign of division, but under that of convergence and cooperation. We must commit ourselves to the path of common convergence so that our differences can be transformed into a force and a dynamic that serves our economies and our populations.”

DRC stands at the crossroads of the five RECs: ICGLR, Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas), Comesa, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC).

Ms Suminwa said the aim is to make the Congo an integrative state — “a bridge between peoples, a cornerstone of African regional cooperation.”

The conference discussed three crucial infrastructure projects for regional integration: the Lobito Corridor, which connects the Atlantic coast with the mining areas of Angola, Zambia and the DRC; the Tanzania–Burundi–DRC railway project, which is expected to open up a strategic route to the Indian Ocean; and the DRC–Uganda road project, meant to foster stability in eastern Congo.

“These projects are not just infrastructure: they are the foundation of a connected, competitive and sovereign Africa. They are tangible proof that peace can also be built through the economy, trade, mobility and mutual trust,” Ms Suminwa said.