Global interest in DRC mining as France, Germany, South Africa, UK and Zimbabwe confirm pavilions at DRC Mining Week

The upcoming DRC Mining Week will have more international pavilions than any previous edition. This year’s indoor and outdoor mining expo and conference taking place from 19-21 June in Lubumbashi, will feature specialised sector-focused products, services and technology with country pavilions from France, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

More than 3500 international mining experts and local stakeholders from more than 50 countries are expected to attend this long-running, award-winning and flagship event that this year is celebrating 15 years of bringing the mining community in the DRC together.

ZimTrade: “DRC is a lucrative market”
The Zimbabwean trade promotional organisation, ZimTrade, organised the first Zimbabwe country pavilion at DRC Mining Week last year and is returning after a highly lucrative experience in 2018. The media reported that companies on the Zimbabwean pavilion had clinched more than US $3-million worth of deals onsite at the event. ZimTrade says in a pre-event interview: “The US$3 million reported is an indication that DRC is a lucrative market and that there is potential for business synergies between Zimbabwean and DRC companies. It is what has spurred us to participate at the show once again in 2019.”

They added: “we were very pleased with the level of interest in Zimbabwean products and our participants generated many business leads some of which they have managed to convert into export sales within a short period of time. The Zimbabwean pavilion will, this year, showcase a variety of locally produced products which includes; jaw crushers, rollers, conveyor belts, electricity transformers and cables, engineering solutions, industrial safety equipment, instrumentation services, boiler serving, irrigation equipment and water management systems among other products.”

French companies known for technical expertise
“The French economic presence in the DRC comprises about 40 companies”, says Sophie Olivier, Director General of the French-Congolese Chamber of Commerce (CCIFC) and convenor of the French Pavilion at the upcoming DRC Mining Week. She continues: “this presence includes locally-based SMEs but also subsidiaries of large groups that have really adapted well to the local environment - in various fields such as hotels, telecoms, energy. Also, the French are recognized for their technical expertise, both in subcontracting (maintenance, technical, construction etc.) and in associated services (catering, HR, audit etc.). There are therefore many French services or products - including technical equipment - within local companies, including mining.”

“The French economic community furthermore already has a presence in Lubumbashi via the CCIFC and the CFA (Le Club Français des Affaires). At DRC Mining Week, the following companies will be represented: BRASIMBA, CIS, DISTRITEC, GCS, HTDS, SERVTEC, SOFIBANQUE, SOS INTERNATIONAL, and CCIFC.”

Read the full interviews on the event website.

Industry support
Apart from Standard Bank’s diamond plus sponsorship, as with previous editions of the event, DRC Mining Week has already secured wide and impressive industry support through leading industry giants, including MEF Petroleum and Tenke Fungurume Mining as diamond sponsors and AEL, CATOCA and Engen as platinum sponsors. The gold sponsors are: Africell, Axishouse, Copperbelt Energy, ERG, SEP Congo, Ivanhoe Mines and Barrick.

DRC Mining Week:
Site visit: 18 June 2019
Pre-conference Power Focus Day: 19 June 2019
Expo and conference: 19-21 June 2019
Location: The Pullman Grand Karavia Hotel, Lubumbashi, DRC

DRC Mining Week is organised by Spintelligent, a leading Cape Town-based and multi-award winning organiser of exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining and agriculture sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa, Agritech Expo Zambia, Nigeria Mining Week, Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria and the East & Central Africa Mining Forum. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.

Website: http://www.drcminingweek.com
Senior communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Office: +27 21 700 3558
Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa

This release was published on openPR.