URBAIN KISULA NGOY Governor of the Province of Katanga

Governor ngoy has a vision for 2010: to establish peace and start attracting more investors to the province. Provided there is peace, in five years Katanga should be able to regain its position as the DRC’s economic engine.

The DRC is often referred to as a geological scandal. What are Katanga’s resources?

Dr. Kisula Ngoy: With regard to exploited resources, Katanga produces copper, cobalt, tin, manganese, cassiterite and coltan. Back in the colonial period, Belgium discovered that the copper deposits spread over an 800km area from Sakania to the center of the province, but these are as yet not exploited. Some minerals such as coltan are specific to Katanga. Diamonds were discovered in the west of the province after prospecting, and in the north we have gold, exploited only by small-scale production operations, as we have no investors as yet. Our major priority at the moment is to organize a geological survey that will allow us to map Katanga’s resources. The maps we are currently relying on date from the colonial period, at the latest from independence in 1960.

What advantages has the new mining code brought?

One of the main advantages for investors is the possibility to recover their capital outlay while exploiting. Investors include Anvil Mining in the east, and First Quantum-owned Compagnie Miniere de Sakania (COMISA) in the south-east.
The mining code will also allow the province to obtain funds which contribute to raising the living standards of the local population. This was not the case previously, as Kinshasa collected all royalties.

How do you see Katanga’s economic development over the next few years?

For the time being, Katanga province must rely on revenues from mining activities in order to develop its economy. But we do not want to neglect agriculture, as a reinvigorated sector would do a lot to improve living standards. If we can attract more mining investment we will also invest in farming.
Also, we need to organize the country’s structures, giving provinces more responsibility for local matters. If all revenues were collected locally and we could administrate expenditures, it would be an improvement. A decentralized system would mean we could manage our own economy, giving more control and ensuring a more efficient management.