Democratic Republic of CongoRelations between Egypt and Democratic Republic of CongoBrief History:
• The relations between Egypt and Democratic Republic of Congo date back to the 1960s with the Egyptian support to the Congolese struggle for independence.
Egypt also hosted the family of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister, after his imprisonment and assassination.
Egypt has always played an active role to ensure the stability of the DRC which is still continuing with the Egyptian participation in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) peacekeeping force and through Egypt's efforts as a member in the UN Security Council and African Union's Peace and Security Council.
• Egypt-DRC relations currently continue in a positive track, with a noticeable level of coordination and cooperation, in addition to the priority which Egypt gives to support capacity building and human development in DRC.Mutual Visits:
• The participation of H.E. President Joseph Kabila in the inauguration ceremony of the New Suez Canal on August 2015 during which three memoranda of understanding for cooperation in the fields of energy, environment and health between the two countries were signed.
• The visit of H.E. Augustin Matata Ponyo, Prime Minister of the DRC to Egypt in February 2016, during which a Joint Statement by the two Prime Ministers was issued concerning the Egyptian participation in stages 3 and 4 of the Inga Dam construction project on the Congo River, in addition to signing several memoranda of understanding including a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Grand Inga Development and Promotion Agency.
• The last two years witnessed a lot of visits of Egyptian senior officials to Rwanda both on the bilateral and multilateral levels, including the visits of former Minister of Foreign Affairs to Kinshasa and Goma on February 2014, and of former Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources on May 2015.
• Congolese senior officials paid a number of visits to Egypt both on the bilateral and multilateral levels, including the visits of Minister of Environment, Conservation of Nature on March 2015, Minister of Trade on June 2015, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for international Cooperation on August 2015.
• The President of the Republic met with the Congolese President on the sidelines of the African Summit in Kigali during July 2016.
• The Congolese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Cairo in February 2017 to participate in the workshop organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, on regional issues.
• The Congolese Minister of Energy visited Cairo in April 2017.
He was invited by the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy to discuss implementing a project to establish two solar energy stations in Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as, coordinate regarding the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP).Economic Relations:
• The trade volume between Egypt and DRC reached 65 million USD in 2014 (Exports from Egypt: 35 million UDS, Imports to Egypt: 30 million USD).
• Egypt's exports to DRC include mixtures of odoriferous substances, fruit juices and vegetable saps & extracts.
Egypt's imports from DRC include copper and zinc.Technical cooperation and assistance:
• The Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) plays a major role in enhancing capacity building in DRC through the training courses that it organizes in collaboration with the relevant Egyptian ministries in various fields that include health, electricity, irrigation, agriculture and diplomacy.
• The EAPD provides as well logistic aids to several sectors in DRC that included in the past three years the rehabilitation of the several departments in Kinshasa General Hospital and providing them with medical equipments, in addition to sending several Egyptian medical convoys and providing logistic aids for the establishment of a vocational training center in Kinshasa.
• The Egyptian Initiative for Developing Nile Basin Countries is conducting several projects in DRC that include the establishment of model farm, electric power stations and a medical center in Kinshasa.
• Egypt is considered the top country in the world in terms of organizing courses for the Congolese side.
Training courses are organized for Congolese cadres in a number of fields most notable of which are policing, electricity, agriculture, media, health, irrigation and management of water resources, and diplomacy.
That is in addition to training offered by the Ministries of Irrigation and Water Resources, Electricity, and others.
• In June 2013, the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) provided logistical assistance in terms of workshop equipment for metal-works, carpentry, and lathing to establish a vocational training center in Kinshasa.
The EAPD, further, contributed to establishing a similar center in the city of Goma east of Congo.
• A Cultural Panorama (Culturama) Center was established as a gift from the Egyptian Government to the Congolese side.
It was opened in 2012 on the sidelines of the Francophonie Summit hosted by the capital Kinshasa.
• Preparations are underway for establishing two solar energy plants funded by the Nile Basin Initiative.
This issue was discussed during the Congolese Minister of Energy's visit to Cairo in April 2017 especially, with regards to the importance of quickly identifying the proposed new locations for the plants so that an Egyptian technical delegation may inspect them and conduct the necessary studies on implementing the projects there.
• There are currently four Al-Azhar envoys teaching the Arabic language, Qura'an, and religious sciences in Congolese religious institutes.
Al-Azhar offers 20 academic scholarships annually to Congolese students to study religious sciences in Egypt.
The Ministry of Higher Education offers two scholarships to study the Arabic language and another two to study at Egyptian universities.
