DR Congo PM inaugurates data center built by Huawei

Published: October 04,2023

Congolese Prime Minister Sama Lukonde Kyenge (C) cuts a ribbon to inaugurate a data center in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Nov. 2, 2023. Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Sama Lukonde Kyenge on Thursday inaugurated a data center at the Ministry of Finance, a project built by the Chinese tech giant Huawei. (DRC Prime Minister’s Office/Handout via Xinhua)

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Sama Lukonde Kyenge on Thursday inaugurated a data center at the Ministry of Finance, a project built by the Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Before cutting the ribbon for the data center, the first of its kind in the country, the Congolese prime minister in his remarks praised this project by saying that it demonstrates cooperation between the DRC and China, as the data center will play an important role in the DRC’s social progress.

While thanking the Chinese government and the Export-Import Bank of China, Congolese Minister of Finance Nicolas Kazadi said this data center will promote modernization, good governance, and the anti-corruption campaign in the country.

Zhao Bin, Chinese ambassador to the DRC, described the center as “a major achievement of Sino-Congolese cooperation” in the field of digital information.

According to Zhao, the center will allow the DRC to accelerate its integration into the global information and communications technology industry, and finally breathe new impetus into its economic transformation and development.

Chen Mingliang, the general director of Huawei DRC, noted that the data center is a “powerful symbol” of the collaboration between Huawei and the DRC while affirming that his company will do its best to ensure the cybersecurity of this project.

The data center, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, would allow the Congolese authorities to centralize, merge, secure, and store information on financial management activities, which would further contribute to national innovation and economic growth. 

Congolese Prime Minister Sama Lukonde Kyenge (L) and Zhao Bin, Chinese ambassador to the DRC, attend the inauguration ceremony for a data center in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Nov. 2, 2023. Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Sama Lukonde Kyenge on Thursday inaugurated a data center at the Ministry of Finance, a project built by the Chinese tech giant Huawei. (Xinhua/Shi Yu)

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