His Excellency President Joseph Kabila Kabange of the Democratic Republic of the Congo attended the opening ceremony of the Private Sector Investment Conference for the Great Lakes region.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was at the opening ceremony of the Private Sector Investment Conference.
News Story
The Private Sector Investment Conference for the Great Lakes region kicked off this Wednesday, 24 February 2016, in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Both the President Joseph Kabila and the United Nations Secretary-General attended the opening ceremony. Later in the day, the Secretary-General held a press conference and spoke about his visit to Burundi and eastern DRC, as well as his participation in the Private Sector Investment Conference. Speaking specifically about the investment conference, Mr. Ban Ki-moon said: “This is a good initiative. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has made good socio-economic development progress. We can see it easily. At the same time, there have been concerns about security and peace issues in the Eastern part of the DRC. It was quite timely when leaders of this Great Lakes region adopted the Framework Agreement on Peace, Security and Cooperation for the DRC and the region. The DRC is known to have abundant natural resources, but it is also important to note that this is a country where they have highly educated and capable human resources. Therefore, inviting foreign direct investment to this country will be very important for the sustainable development of the region. That is why I came to participate in this.” 
NOTE OF GRATITUDE
The Office of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region (OSESG-GL) expresses its gratitude to the co-organizers of the Private Sector Investment Conference for the Great Lakes region, namely the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Conference brought together over 500 business leaders and political stakeholders not only from the region, but also from around the world. The presence of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila Kabange, brought even more significance to the event by drawing world attention to the challenges facing the development of the Great Lakes region of Africa. A note of gratitude also to all the development partners, international organizations, and UN funds and agencies that have made financial and in-kind contributions for the successful organization of the Conference. Sincere thanks to all the anonymous individuals, whose contributions have been instrumental in this common endeavor. Finally, a big thank you to the participants whose enthusiasm made all the difference. Without the valuable support of each one, the Conference would not have achieved its objectives. As a first in the region, we should all take pride in the success achieved together.
KEY PROJECTS
FINAL REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE
Testimonies
"There is no way the private sector will be able to drive the economy without the cooperation of the government. They are the facilitators, they need to roll out good policies for you to even be interested in investing." (Aliko Dangote in African Business, Number 423, October 2015)
"There is nowhere foreign investors can generate the kind of returns Africa offers. You are talking about 30% return on your investment. It is a good place to invest." (Aliko Dangote in African Business, Number 423, October 2015)
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