Katoy-316, May 17, 2025 (ACP). – Following Kwilu Province, the report of the characterization study of the Katoy-316 Economic Development Pole (PDE) was validated, after discussions and deliberations, on Friday in Katoy-316, located 45 km from Kenge, Kwango Province, in the southwest of the country, by some fifty participants in this validation workshop.

" "As Provincial Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, I am immensely pleased to close this workshop on the report of the characterization study of the Katoy-316 economic development pole. We had fruitful and constructive discussions that allowed us to identify concrete avenues to strengthen our approach to economic development, while integrating nutritional and environmental dimensions." I would like to thank all the participants for their commitment and contribution to this collective reflection,” declared Josée Lulengwa Kibangu, provincial minister of agriculture and food security, after validation of this report carried out by the NGO INADES, within the framework of the Project for Empowerment through the Promotion of Agricultural and Rural Entrepreneurship Sensitive to Nutrition, Inclusive and Resilient (AVENIR).

According to her, this study represents a key milestone in strengthening agricultural activities aimed at promoting family farming and agricultural entrepreneurship in the Katoy/316 PDE and the production areas that feed it.

The Kwango Provincial Minister of Agriculture expressed her deep gratitude to INADES for its valuable expertise, as well as to the Congolese government and technical and financial partners (IFAD & AFD) for their unwavering support in the implementation of the AVENIR project. She also thanked the AVENIR Project team and all the government technical services involved for their dedication and commitment.

Previously, the National Coordinator of the AVENIR Project, Mr Justinien Bacirongo Binyoma, indicated that this study is of great importance, it has the mapping of the project sites in the locality of Katoy/316 and its surroundings, which is the intervention zone which will benefit from infrastructures such as the semi-wholesale market, collection markets, production basins, river ports and development of road axes..

For his part, the Chief of the Pelende-Nord chiefdom, Kiamfu Mwaku Makamb Louis, who participated in this validation of the report of the study conducted by the NGO INADES, said he was satisfied with this validation given that this project is being implemented more precisely in his chiefdom of Pelende-Nord which is the biggest beneficiary. He called on his population to take ownership of this project for their benefit, before inviting the AVENIR Project to get down to implementing the said project, the study of which was unanimously validated.

Furthermore, during his speech, Mr. Aimé Kazika Kamosi, Provincial Branch Head of the AVENIR Project in Kwango, explained that this project, which runs from August 2023 to July 2030, is being implemented in four provinces, namely Kwango, Kwilu, Maï-Ndombe, and Kongo Central, as well as in the outlying areas of Kinshasa. Its main objective is to contribute to reducing poverty in rural areas and improving the nutrition of rural populations in the provinces surrounding Kinshasa.

The official validation of the said report was presented by Mr. Ruffin Mvumbi, INADES Team Leader in Kwango Province, during this workshop, which brought together approximately fifty participants.

ACP/C.L.

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