In the context of national development, the government of DRC recently launched a plan to establish agro-industrial parks throughout the country. Twenty-two agro-industrial parks will be established in areas of considerable agricultural productivity. To date, only one park, Bukanga-Lonzo, is operational, covering a total of 80,000 ha. There are concerns that these parks will have unexpected, negative impacts on the local communities in their vicinity, many of which depend on the land and other natural resources for their livelihoods.

In this context, CACO, the RRI-supported national civil society platform on tenure, will hold a dialogue on the pilot park of Bukanga-Lonzo to clarify the project’s objectives and conclude lessons that can be used in the establishment of the 21 remaining parks. The dialogue is under the lead of the National Confederation of Agricultural Producers of the Congo (CONAPAC, in French), and will be formally hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister, which is is leading the implementation of these agro-industrial parks.

The dialogue will convene diverse stakeholders implicated in this process, including government officials, international partners, private sector representatives, customary leaders, journalists, and civil society organizations, as well as community members from the areas in and around Bukanga-Lonzo.

Resources

• Terms of Reference
• Agenda
• Participant List

For more information, please contact Mary Nyuyinui, RRI’s Regional Facilitator for Central Africa.