Félix Tshisekedi concerned about the level of poverty and unemployment in Central Africa

DRC President Félix Tshisekedi on October 22, 2021. © Ikulu ya Kinshasa DRC

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President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took over the rotating presidency of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS, eleven countries) on January 19 in Brazzaville, deploring the high level of poverty and unemployment in the area.

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With our correspondent in Brazzaville,

Loïcia Martial

It was at the end of the 20th ordinary session of ECCAS that President Félix Tshisekedi, whose country ranks first in terms of surface area and population in this space, deplored the poverty and unemployment which are plaguing this nevertheless rich area. in natural resources. 

“

While for three decades, Central Africa has recorded laudable growth, well-being there remains significantly lower than that of all (other) regions. Overall poverty rates in our sub-region still stand at around 43%, or nearly half of our population. According to some estimates, more than half of the young people in our region are either looking for a job, underemployed or simply inactive

,” he said. 

In Brazzaville, the presidents of the two Congos, Angola, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea and representatives of their counterparts also discussed the security challenges in the Lake Chad Basin and in eastern DRC, maritime piracy or terrorism.

They requested the organization of a session on terrorism on the sidelines of the next African Union summit in February. 

For his part, the President of Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou Nguesso, outgoing President of ECCAS, called on his peers to support the Chadian transition.

Whatever our internal difficulties, we cannot sit idly by while some external partners are already delivering on their promises to Chad, he said.

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