MEETING BETWEEN UNICONGO AND THE TASK FORCE ON COVID-19

Following the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Congo, and with a view to a rapid recovery of the economythe Task-Force, chaired by the Minister of State, Minister of Economy, Industry and Public Portfolio, and a delegation of Unicongo's affiliated business leaders, led by the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Christophe PUJALTE, met on Saturday, May 30, 2020at the Elaïs Hotel in Pointe-Noire.

The exchanges focused mainly on the main main difficulties encountered by the private sector since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the different the various solutions proposed by Unicongo proposed by Unicongo, and then the measures that could be envisaged in order to put in place a common plan for the revival of economic activities.

During the meeting, the following topics were discussed, among others:

• Total deconfinement for a return to near-normal activity;
• Stimulating the economy for consumption and investment;
• Tax issues;
• Social issues;
• The treatment of the domestic debt ;
• The operation of the private sector support fund ;
• A moratorium on untimely administrative controls.

In his closing remarks, the Minister of State reminded the audience that the government and the private sector must work together to face these uncertain times. The Public-Private Dialogue remains essential in the coming months because the country's recovery will necessarily depend on the good health of the private sector.

While thanking the President of the Task-Force for the initiative of this meeting, the Vice-President of Unicongo recalled that most of the leaders around the table, whether owners of a company or directors of a subsidiary of an international group, represented companies that have been present in Congo for more than 50 years, and that they had that they had no intention of shirking their obligations, particularly with respect to taxes. Even if private investment would inevitably suffer from the crisis that the country is currently experiencing, all possible solutions will be implemented to safeguard employment as much as possible.