Congo Honorary Consul trying to rebuild the image of his country

Frank Luaba must have one of the toughest sells in the world of inward investment.

But as the Honorary Consul to the United Kingdom for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), he believes the hardest part of his job consists in rebuilding the image of his country in the minds of foreign investors.

“The message we are trying to bring to companies in the UK is they have at least to come and have a look before they keep thinking what they have been told in the past,” he said.

His brief is to raise awareness among UK businesses of the potentially lucrative opportunities that lie within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a vast country with immense economic resources that have, so far, been left largely untapped.

And he is doing so from an unassuming base in a managed office in Tyseley, where he works with his three colleagues Francois Kayembe, head of cultural and public affairs, Lorris Nzembele, head of economic and commercial affairs and Imani Chiragarula, head of social affairs.

Not to be confused with the neighbouring Republic of the Congo, Mr Luaba’s message is that the DRC is ready to welcome the foreign investment which holds the key to its future development.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s recent history is one of war both internally and with neighbouring countries such as Rwanda and Uganda.

The country still hosts the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission and Mr Luaba acknowledges there are still pockets of trouble in the eastern part of the country where Rwandan-backed rebel militia are still fighting the Congolese army.

But under a new government, led by President Joseph Kabila, it is striving to recover from a war that had raged for more than five years in which millions died, mostly through starvation, disease and genocide.

Mr Luaba said: “The DRC economy is growing because of the political situation.

“As everyone knows the Congo was in a very troubled period for more than 30 years because of misrule and also because of the rebels.

“But for three years the DRC has had a democratically-elected government which is trying to get everything into shape to give assurance to investors and to tell people there is a lot of potential in the country.

“This is the time to invest in the DRC and various countries have recognised that.”

The DRC’s government has identified key sectors as priorities to attract international investment – agriculture, infrastructure, energy and also the mining sector – and is keen to welcome West Midland businesses who are interested in tapping into these.

Mr Luaba has been busy meeting with business bodies like Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, local universities and councils to encourage links and set up events which will bring the two countries closer together.

And one unexpected organisation on Mr Luaba’s to visit list has been the Professional Golfers Association (PGA), based at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield.

Mr Luaba believes golf offers huge potential in developing the visitor economy in the DRC, which he is confident could one day rival that of South Africa given the right investors.

And golf is seen as key to achieving this – hence the meeting with the PGA.

He said: “As a tourism destination the DRC has everything to offer that countries such as Kenya and South Africa has.

“There is an abundance of wildlife and areas of natural beauty including jungles, forest and a small but beautiful coastline.

“The Congo River is 4,700 kilometres long. We have huge parkland areas with vast tourism potential, it is really a beautiful country.

“We already have the basic infrastructure to welcome tourists but it is an area that is ripe for further development.

“We know we have a long way to go but are confident that, with the right investment and relationships with other countries, the DRC could, in the next ten years, be just as significant a power in Africa as other nations.”

n Frank Luaba and his team can be contacted at The DR Congo Consulate/UK, 205 Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B11 2AA. Tel: 0121 448 6967. Email: Info@drcongoconsulate.co.uk Web: www.drcongoconsulate.co.uk