Kinshasa government launches green corridor in Congo Basin

​​​​​​​By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Felix Tshisekedi said Wednesday that the Congo is launching the world’s largest tropical forest reserve in the Congo Basin, forming a green corridor between the eastern region of Kivu and the national capital of Kinshasa.

The community reserve will span more than 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles), connecting the Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, the expansive forests of Ituri and the Congo River from Kisangani to Kinshasa, Tshisekedi said in an address at the World Economic Forum.

“This initiative goes far beyond simple environmental preservation. It represents a comprehensive strategy to revitalize our economy, to strengthen our communities and promote lasting peace in our eastern provinces that have long been affected by armed conflicts and instability,” he said.

The Congo Basin is the largest remaining tropical area. It is now under threat, however, due to the conflict in eastern Congo, which is a major contributor to deforestation.

Kinshasa wants to reduce its carbon footprint while transforming the economy, using solar, hydroelectricity and wind power.

The Kivu-Kinshasa green corridor -- covering more than 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles), an area the size of France and home to 31 million people -- is expected to preserve over 100,000 square kilometers of natural forest.

It is estimated to create nearly 500,000 jobs and provide 1 million tons of food per year for Kinshasa, the largest city in Africa.

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said the bloc and member states, acting as Team Europe, have already mobilized €1 billion in investments and projects along the corridor.

“I am happy to announce that we have decided to mobilize now very fast in the short term an extra €42 million grant funding which we are ready to double very fast to boost the sustainable agriculture value chain to use renewable energy and fuels and to protect this iconic biodiversity along the green corridor,” he said.

Tshisekedi also expressed his gratitude to the EU for its support of the Virunga Alliance, an almost 40-year-old initiative that generated clean electricity and created 21,000 jobs through the agro-industry. “This success story inspires us to develop the Kivu-Kinshasa green corridor,” he said.