As part of his official mission with Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC S.A.) in Mongala Province, the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of National Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Daniel Mukoko Samba, took the opportunity to visit the women’s empowerment site in Yaligimba and celebrate with them the International Day of Rural Women, observed every year on 15 October.
The Vice Prime Minister praised PHC’s commitment to local development and the economic empowerment of rural women, highlighting the importance of such initiatives in fighting poverty and strengthening community resilience.
These initiatives in favor of women were launched in June 2025, in the presence of a representative from Kuramo Capital Management, PHC’s majority shareholder. They provide women from surrounding communities with practical training in agriculture and livestock. For the past five months, the first pilot cohort, composed of ten women, has been learning to cultivate vegetable crops and will soon receive training in poultry and rabbit farming.
PHC will continue to support them by providing technical assistance and material resources to help them develop sustainable income-generating activities within their villages. A new cohort will follow, further expanding the program’s impact in the region.
Beyond training, the site also facilitates the marketing of agricultural products by transporting harvests to local markets in Mindonga, Lolo, and Bumba, thereby reducing transport costs, a major barrier for many rural women. This initiative is part of the “Empow’her by PHC” Program under its Pillar II: “Community Support and Socio-Economic Empowerment”, which aims to promote economic independence and women’s leadership in rural areas.
Through this initiative, PHC reaffirms its commitment to fostering shared prosperity through agribusiness, fighting poverty and malnutrition, and strengthening women’s leadership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“These actions may seem modest, but they change lives and open new opportunities for our rural communities,” said Mrs. Monique Gieskes, Chief Executive Officer of PHC S.A.
With this concrete initiative, PHC once again demonstrates its role as a key partner in rural development in the DRC, contributing actively to building a more inclusive and sustainable future.
