Mbanza-Ngungu, June 18, 2025 (ACP). - The project for Empowerment through the Promotion of Agricultural and Rural Entrepreneurship, Sensitive to Nutrition, Inclusive and Resilient to Climate Change (AVENIR) was visited on Wednesday in Mbanza-Ngungu, in Kongo Central (Southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo), by His Excellency the Ambassador of France to the DRC.

"The AVENIR project is coherent in that it already aims to bring producers closer to consumption areas," declared Rémi Maréchaux, French Ambassador to the DRC, during a visit to Mbanza-Ngungu, where he was briefed on the results of nearly a year's work already carried out by this project, according to a briefing note from the governorate received by the ACP on Thursday.

Greeted upon his arrival by Ms. Guylaine Matindi, head of the AVENIR/Kongo Central project, and the provincial Minister of Agriculture, Fiston Lubaki, according to the source, the French diplomat encouraged the construction, as part of this project, of markets and rural roads to open up production areas and increase production.

He expressed confidence in the positive results achieved through the strong involvement of both provincial and national governments, as well as producers, it was reported.

"I've been living in Kinshasa for nine months, and fresh produce comes from abroad. Potatoes, for example, come from Europe, while there are potato-producing areas in Kongo Central,"observed Rémi Maréchaux quoted in the document, who also encouraged the realization of the agricultural potential of Kongo Central province.

The text highlights that the ambassador took the opportunity to hold an exchange meeting with the AVENIR project team and its partners to address certain concerns.

For his part, Mr. Justinien Bacirongo Binyoma, National Coordinator of the AVENIR project, also mentioned in the note, welcomed the French diplomat's interest in visiting the AVENIR project office in Mbanza-Ngungu, given that the French Development Agency (AFD) is the project's largest donor, although there are other partners, such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Congolese government, and the beneficiaries.

"It was also a matter of presenting to the French Ambassador to the DRC the results of almost a year's work already carried out within the AVENIR project in the Kongo Central province," he emphasized.

This visit concluded after the French Ambassador to the DRC was presented with some locally produced products by the various agricultural associations that are partners in the Avenir project, the source concluded.

ACP/JF

 

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