In pursuit of the economic independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Launch conference of the Makutano Institute
Rationale and purpose
On the occasion of the commemoration of the political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a question about the country's economic independence arises with acuteness, since it is true that without the latter, the former could not be appreciated at its true value. This Saturday, 27 June 2020, the Makutano network is organising, in the form of a webinar, an academic conference on this theme in order to highlight the avenues for progress towards the economic independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Beyond this, the three major areas that will be discussed are: financial
independence and its limits, energy independence and industrial policy, as well as human capital in the transformation of agriculture. Beyond an understanding of the intellectual and empirical approaches to industrial transformation, the conference will shed light on the state of the related portfolio of investment projects in the DRC, the concrete process of launching a project in partnership with the Congolese government through the support of the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments, as well as an outline of a new investment policy.
Programme
11:00 a.m.: Opening and presentation of the launch project of the Makutano Institute, the think tank of the Makutano network.
Nicole Sulu Tshiyoyo, Founder of the Sultani Makutano network.
11:05 a.m.: Presentation on "Financial independence and its limits: the balance between strategies for accessing international markets and the development of an internal financial system".
José Manoka Mussala (MBA), Vice-President in charge of Business Development for the Banking, Funding & Financing business line of Clearstream Banking Luxembourg S.A.
11:20 a.m.: Presentation on "Energy independence and industrial policy: the case of the structural transformation of a natural-resource economy".
Jean-Marc Kilolo Malambwe (PhD, MBA), International economist, Professor at the Protestant University of Congo and at the National Pedagogical University.
11:35 a.m.: Presentation on "Human capital and the transformation of agriculture: the role of companies and decision-makers".
Christian OTCHIA (PhD), Associate Professor at Nagoya University in Japan.
11:50 a.m.: Presentation on "A portfolio of DRC projects compatible with economic independence, in finance, energy, agriculture and mineral resources: outline of a new investment policy".
Anthony NKINZO, Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments.
12:05 p.m.: Questions-and-answers session and discussion
12:30 p.m.: End of the conference
Biographical notes on the main speakers
José MANOKA MUSSALA (MBA)
An expert in financial services for institutional clients. With around twenty years of professional experience in the banking industry, Mr Manoka has held various operational, commercial and product-development roles in the business lines related to investor services and capital-markets operations. His professional career spans three continents: Africa, America and Europe. Indeed, Mr Manoka has worked in the DRC, in Belgium, in the USA and, more recently, in Luxembourg. Today, Mr Manoka is Vice-President in charge of Business Development for the Banking, Funding & Financing business line of a bank in Luxembourg. Trained at the Catholic University of Louvain (Louvain-La-Neuve), where he obtained a degree in economics, he also holds an MBA in banking earned from the University of London.
Jean-Marc KILOLO MALAMBWE (PhD, MBA)
Professor of economics at the Protestant University of Congo and at the National Pedagogical University. An international economist specialising in trade and international-development issues, he holds a doctorate from the École Polytechnique de Paris, an MBA from UQAM, a Master's degree in economics from the University of Montreal and a degree in economics from the Catholic University of Louvain. The author of several publications in scholarly journals such as Review of the World Economics, Journal of International Trade and Economic Development, Economics and Politics, etc., he co-edited a volume of the Strategic Intelligence and International Relations review (Dounia) devoted to the emergence of the DRC. A recognised African expert, he has led capacity-building seminars in around 15 African countries. In the course of his professional career, he has worked as an economist in Canada (Institut de la Statistique du Québec), in
Switzerland (Economic Commission for Europe, UNCTAD, International Trade Centre), in Kenya (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) and in Cameroon (Economic Commission for Africa).
Christian OTCHIA (PhD)
Professor of economics at Nagoya University in Japan, Mr Otchia has extensive practical experience in the design and implementation of industrial policies, having worked with various local and national governments (Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Chad, Cameroon) and international organisations (FAO, UNCTAD, ECA, World Bank). His research areas include economic policy, labour economics, and development economics. His approach involves the use of statistics and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models to study poverty, inequality, the link between economic growth and structural change, as well as industrial policy in the context of globalisation. He has contributed to the development of analytical tools for evaluating economic policies in developing countries, including CGE models and inclusive growth, with recognition from the International Input-Output Association through an award in 2013. He also received, in 2016, the Lawrence R. Klein Award of the Pan Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies and the first Thomas Rutherford Prize from the GAMS Corporation and the Center for Global Trade Analysis of Purdue University for his work on CGE and micro-simulation models. He currently focuses on applying the methodologies he has developed to the impact of socio-emotional skills on the labour market in terms of employment, entrepreneurship and incomes in sub-Saharan Africa. He has numerous publications in top international scientific journals.
Anthony NKINZO (Bachelor's degree, Advanced Postgraduate Certificate)
Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments (ANAPI) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He was an Associate Partner in charge of the legal and tax practice within the firm ABN Nzailu & Co and Tax & Legal Manager within the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers/DRC. He also has solid experience within the public administration, having served as Chief of Staff at the Ministry of State Portfolio and then Chief of Staff at the Vice-Prime Minister's Office of the Ministry of the Budget, after having been a Recovery Audit Officer at the Directorate General of Taxes. A law graduate of the University of Kinshasa, he holds an advanced postgraduate certificate in Advanced General Management from the leading business school HEC Paris.
