The Forum was held in a hybrid format, both in Kinshasa and online, and was convened by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the Ministry of Industry together with the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Afreximbank, the African Development Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the African Legal Support Facility and the UN Global Compact. It was officially opened in a speech by the Forum’s patron, President of the DRC, HE Mr. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

The global transition towards green energy holds significant opportunities for Africa and for the DRC due to its plentiful natural resources, including strategic minerals used in the production of electric vehicles. ERG is not only contributing to the development of the DRC’s role in the energy transition through the large-scale industrial production of cobalt and copper, but is also focussed on creating a long-term, sustainable battery value chain through its involvement in initiatives such as the Global Battery Alliance, the Fund for the Prevention of Child Labour in Mining Communities and Re|Source among others.

Benedikt Sobotka, CEO of ERG, said: “ERG is proud to be a platinum partner of the DRC-Africa Business Forum 2021, a crucial initiative for catalysing both multi-stakeholder collaboration and investment in Africa, which is home to key materials for the battery industry. The Forum is not only important for the African continent, but also for the global battery sector, and by extension, the green energy transition. Creating the necessary conditions and frameworks for the development of the sustainable global battery chain has been a focus for ERG for many years, and we are pleased to see collaborative engagement in this matter from leaders in business and government and from international organisations present at the Forum. We very much welcome the continued efforts of the DRC government in facilitating Africa's contribution to a successful clean energy transition and increasing its importance in the value chain of batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy.”