There is a rising glimmer of hope in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a time when the true essence of the people with the economy of nation is spiralling downwards. Truly, a glimmer of hope is rising in a continent where the picture has more often been painted and portrayed as oblique, and the future of Africans hanging in a dangerously smeared cliché of the Dark Continent by the more developed economies of the world.
That shining Glimmer of hope every well-meaning African gladly will associate with is Moise Katumbi Chapwe who is emerging on a stage as a delightful patriot, a pride of the land, changing paradigms of hopelessness and bleakness in a ravaged country among a ravaged people, posturing and daring to even make better a nation known for its long lasting unnecessary civil war, political instability, devastating political corruption, and depleted infrastructure.
Indeed, DR Congo is a quite stimulating and breath taking country with a land mass spiralling three times its colonial lords’ size, boasting of natural resources that any nation aspiring for greatness would have wished for and be proud to be in possession of. But, the country has endured decades of mal-administration, underdevelopment, corruption and a near total neglect of its people and its resources.
In this labyrinth of lack, bleakness, desolation, ravaged state of the nation, untapped resources, and unfulfilled political promises, has emerged with a proven track record of accomplishments, either as a public servant where he served as governor of Katanga province, or as a businessman running a successful conglomerate among which, is most notably the hugely and most successful football club in the DR Congo, and one of the finest team the continent has ever produced – the T P Mazembe.
Katumbi has truly and proudly emerged as a shining ray of hope; he is a distinguished son of the land, and an amiable personality moved by the plight of his people emerging from years of neglect, mistrust, betrayal of hope, a trampling of pride and a future that has increasingly appeared blurry and austere. He is a man, whose many successes have brought succour to his people; a man who dares to stand in the face of adversity so that his people can stand together with him in pride and grit knowing that the enormity of the challenge is indeed surmountable.
Although quite a wealthy and an influential businessman, his economic and financial tackiness in resolving some of the most pressing economic challenges facing the DR Congo were brought to the fore when he was invited by the President, Joseph Kabila, to help in addressing the issue of mining and export of copper in the nation. This seemingly insurmountable challenge was not only squarely addressed, but its huge success has caused a gravitation of business interests, wooing investors and opening channels through which the economy of the mineral rich nation emerged stronger from the economic plunge that confronted the country.
Katumbi has pledged a loyalty of hope to help alleviate the sufferings of the DRC. While not sounding like nor is he appearing as the messianic deliver, his compelling attitude and belief in the emergence of a better Congo, backed with a driving force that has compelled, in unity, a nation’s collective strong desire to break free from the shackles of a bleak tempestuous past, to an advent of a giant that has been for so long suppressed, is worth noting and worthy of mention.
As a visionary, he has already set in motion the necessary paraphernalia of stable infrastructural growth, economic development, environmental health and an all-round service delivery of schools, hospitals, provision of basic amenities and a dedication to minimize corruption in the Katanga province. This is a clear eyed indication that such a leader has made ready future plans for the entire DR Congo, where every human, natural and national endowment can be adequately harnessed to put the DR Congo on the map of nations whose economy has propelled it to greatness.
