BUSINESS EVENING HELD ON THE SIDELINES OF THE AFRICA-PORTUGAL-UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FORUM IN PORTO: THE GRAND PRIX FOR PEACE AND AFRICAN INTEGRATION AWARDED TO PRESIDENT FÉLIX ANTOINE TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO
At the close of the 4th Africa-Portugal-United Arab Emirates Forum, held from 8 to 9 October 2026 in Porto, Portugal, the Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, accepted on behalf of the Congolese Government the Grand Prize for Peace and African Integration, awarded to the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi for his efforts towards bringing peace to the east of the DRC and the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), during a business reception.
Taking the floor, the Minister for Trade thanked the organisers of this forum, in particular the Forum of Operators for the Guarantee of Africa’s Emergence (FOGECA) and the Portuguese Entrepreneurs’ Association (AEP), for honouring the President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, by awarding him this prestigious prize; on this occasion, he commended the commitment of Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and Africa to building a modern and balanced partnership based on the local processing of the continent’s raw materials, alongside the development of regional value chains, thereby boosting industrialisation and the transfer of skills through the development of human capital
During this economic forum, trade facilitation partnerships were highlighted with a view to integrating the DRC’s transport corridors into global energy supply chains, supported by the logistical expertise of the United Arab Emirates and Portugal, in addition to clear expressions of interest from Portuguese consortia and Emirati investment funds to finance infrastructure projects in the DRC, a great success for the economic and trade diplomacy led by President Félix Tshisekedi, added the Minister for Foreign Trade.
It should be noted that the DRC delegation comprised the Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya; the Minister for Entrepreneurship and SME Development, Justin Kalumba Mwana Ngongo, who is acting as Minister for Industry; the Governor of Lualaba, Fifi Masuka, and the Directors-General of the Industry Promotion Fund (FPI) and the Regulatory Authority for Subcontracting in the Private Sector (ARSP).
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