On December 22, Marc Ekira Likombio, Minister of State and Minister of Vocational Training of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency in the capital Kinshasa. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shi Yu

Mark Ekira Likombio, Minister of State and Vocational Training of the Democratic Republic of Congo, recently stated in an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Kinshasa, the capital of the country, that cooperation between the country and China has expanded from traditional infrastructure and project construction to vocational training and youth employment, moving towards a new stage that places greater emphasis on skill cultivation and employment integration.

Likombio recently attended the China Congo (Kinshasa) Vocational and Technical Education and Training Conference. He told Xinhua News Agency reporters before the meeting that the Democratic Republic of Congo is accelerating a series of key projects such as mining, infrastructure, and urban construction, and the demand for technical workers and professional skilled talents is becoming increasingly urgent. A qualified training and a recognized skill can open the door to employment for young people.

Likombio recently visited several Chinese funded enterprises in Upper Katanga and Lualaba provinces, and found that most of these enterprises have well-equipped and high-level training centers. Some of these training centers were originally aimed at internal employees of the companies, but I have reached a consensus with these companies that starting next year, some training programs will gradually be aimed at the society of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Likombio said that this means more Congolese youth will have the opportunity to enter high-level training centers, receive guidance from high-quality teachers, and directly connect to employment positions. Our youth will truly benefit from training and gain job opportunities as a result

Likombio stated that the cooperation between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China in the field of vocational training is not a temporary arrangement, but is based on long-term exchanges. As early as 2016, he went to China for training in policy planning and macroeconomics, gaining a more intuitive understanding of China's experience in development planning and economic governance.

In 2024, Li Kongbiao will attend the World Conference on the Development of Vocational and Technical Education in China and conduct on-site inspections of China's vocational education system and industrial development. He will have in-depth exchanges with the Chinese side on topics such as vocational training, skill matching, and youth employment. He stated that these exchanges have laid the foundation for practical cooperation between the two countries in the field of vocational training, and the relevant cooperation mechanisms are gradually transforming from written agreements into concrete results.

At the China Congo (Kinshasa) Vocational and Technical Education and Training Conference, Chinese experts conducted training in areas such as mining, infrastructure, and emergency medical care, and assisted trainees in connecting with recruitment opportunities after the training.

Likombio said that the Democratic Republic of Congo hopes to deepen cooperation with China to help more young people master practical skills and achieve stable employment in the country's development process. He emphasized that this cooperation is an important beginning of a long-term process.

Editor: Wang Siyang