Kinshasa, March 13, 2023.
From March 13th to 24th, 2023, PHC will participate in a mediation process with nine communities from seven community groupings in Boteka and Lokutu. The mediation, organized by the Independent Complaints Mechanism (ICM) of the development banks DEG (Germany) and FMO (Netherlands), comes nearly five years after the mediation request was filed in 2018. PHC's engagement with the ICM stems from the development banks' prior status as corporate lenders.
In the five years since the mediation request was filed, PHC's ownership, management, and operational structure have changed dramatically and great efforts have been made to improve community relations and increase investment in social services to communities. Since 2018, PHC has funded the construction of 28 schools and 11 health centers, among other projects. Based on dialogue with local communities, the company has also invested in agricultural projects aimed at economic development and improving food security for communities. The company provides more than 7 500 jobs in areas with very limited employment opportunities, enabling many households to receive a salary and free health care.
Since 2021, the company has been under new majority ownership, which has brought about Congolese management. This new approach has led to major improvements in the company's operations, as evidenced by a 42% increase in production in two years. In addition, the company's debt that was previously held by the aforementioned development banks was purchased by Maku Holdings in February 2022, signaling the end of PHC's contractual requirements to continue the mediation process. However, as part of PHC's new vision of shared prosperity with all its stakeholders, the company's current management has chosen to continue with the mediation process facilitated by the ICM in order to help build lasting social engagement through the identification of win-win solutions to the concerns expressed by the communities in their 2018 complaint.
PHC is confident that the mediation will result in an agreement that will allow the company and the nine communities to move forward toward their common goal of creating a positive economic impact and sustainable development in the Tshopo and Equateur provinces.